Mercenaries vs Brigade
by ej8012
Summary: The Greil Mercenaries have been hired to find and capture the Dawn Brigade, but not everything's peachy for the heroes. People on both sides struggle with skeletons in their closest, old allies reappear, and Begnion's true intentions are known. Small Yaoi. Not continued in a sequel!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Geez, its pretty amazing what some good reviews will get yah. Writing this for 'youdon'tknow' who reviewed another one of my stories (Dueling at Dawn, a Mia/Soren fic) and told me about this idea. So yep, I've decided to write it. I must admit, once I started to think of the Dawn Brigade meeting/fighting/running from the Mercenaries, it was fun to think up things I could do. Still, I haven't written any Brigade stuff yet, so they may be a little OOC for the first two-three chapters. Still, enjoy your 'Mercenaries vs Brigade'!

**Warning: Swearing and guy/guy pairings. If you're alright with that, continue on. Nothing heavy though, I swear.**

"Where are they? Sothe and Nolan should be fine, but they're taking forever to get here!" Edward moaned, walking between two stacks for supplies. His pacing seemed to be causing Yune to go crazy, she was flying all over the small base. Leonardo was practicing his shot in a straw dummy, but he kept glancing at Edward and then Micaiah. His gaze seemed to tell her to get the myrmidon to stop moving, and to _shut up, please_.

Micaiah could understand why, but she just shrugged. What did Leo expect her to do anyway? Chide Edward for worrying? Although, truth be told, Micaiah was already worrying herself. Sothe and Nolan were, easily, the two best fighters in their group. So what was taking them so long?

"Micaiah! Edward! Leonardo! We have to go now!" Sothe ran into the room followed by Nolan, who set himself to grabbing supplies. Micaiah jumped from her seat as Sothe ran around with a bag, throwing things like food inside.

"W-What? What's going on?" As if to answer her question, Yune landed on her shoulder and Micaiah felt a jolt of fear run through her. But, right before she could tell the others, an arrow flew through one of the holes in the roof and landed on the table.

"Damn! They're faster then before!" Sothe's voice pierced their shock like a hot knife through butter. Leonardo quickly grabbed his things, helping Edward (who was grabbing clothes and other not-necessary but important things), but Micaiah could see his eyes widen when the arrow landed. That shot... Even the light mage knew that it would take a master archer to even try that kind of attack.

"Micaiah! Come on!" Sothe ran to her and pulled her close to him. "It'll be fine, but we must leave before they surround us." His voice was comforting and Micaiah nodded. Nolan looked at them and, once they left each others embrace, called out,

"We have everything we need, we can leave now." Sothe nodded and headed to the back entrance. Edward was right behind him, and Leonardo behind him. Micaiah felt a tremble of fear as Sothe kicked open the wooden plank that was sloppily held there by old nails. Only one arrow shot out towards them, but Sothe easily batted it away.

"Now, go!" Sothe shouted, running forward with lightning speed. Edward and Leo sprinted out after him, and Micaiah and Nolan finished up their small group. It looked like everything was going well until two people on horses (one in green, the other in red-gold) burst out of the trees roughly three hundred yards away. Micaiah could hear Leonardo and Sothe cursing their luck, and silently sent a prayer to the goddess. They were in no condition to fight these people, whoever they were, and they obviously could not outrun them.

Sothe suddenly turned and threw one of his knives out at the rider with red hair, hitting her in the left arm at the elbow. An amazing shot, but the important thing was Sothe kept running, but the rider stopped. Micaiah felt a rush of relief. Maybe the three attackers would stop, seeing their comrade hurt. That relief disappeared when Micaiah saw a figure in black appear at the entrance to the forest. He stood there, for several seconds, but then a rush of wind shot out at them and Micaiah felt herself be throw aside before the spell hit.

A mage? No, too strong. A sage, definitely. Micaiah forced herself to her feet, chanting as she went, clutching her tome tightly. She cast the spell back at the sage, but, although he was hit, all he did was stumble back a little.

And then an arrow shot throw the air and hit the man in the lower chest. Leonardo glanced at Micaiah, who nodded. He was always a good shot, when his friends were relying on him. Sothe ran over to check on Micaiah, who said,

"We should keep running, we can go right past that man into the forest and they won't be able to catch us." Sothe nodded as Edward and Nolan (who had gathered their tossed supplies) ran up. Leonardo was keeping a lookout for anymore problems. The figure in black who Micaiah had last seen falling to the ground was gone, and no arrows shot out from the bushes. It seemed they had stopped their attack.

So, it was with the thought of something being hunted, that the Dawn Brigade left their last base and ran into the forest, slightly injured, and very much confused. Just who were those people?

* * *

"Dammit! How did we not see that before we attacked?" Ike slammed his fist against the weak wall of the shelter as he looked at the impromptu door, or the hole in the wall that ruined Soren's plans and was the source of his headache. Well that, and the sound of said sage shouting at an uncaring sniper.

"You were not supposed to attack them or risk killing them, did you loose what little intelligence you have in the two minutes before my plan started? We were going to capture them at arrow, lance, and ax point! And now, because you decided to take pot-shots at their feet, we have to go people-hunting across Daein! You have no idea how close I am to taking all of your pay for the next year, and keeping it for something useful! Like, supplies!" Ike started to tune Soren out, as he felt Shinon was. For someone who had an arrow in his chest just moments ago, he sounded alright. Of course, his way for dealing with things tended to be shouting at someone. Mist ran up to her older brother, a little pale from being so tired, but otherwise alright.

"How is Titania? Is her arm going to be alright?" Mist nodded, wiping some sweat off her forehead. "That's good. Is Rhys good enough to move, or should we leave someone with him?" That was part of the reason their full force wasn't out- Ike had decided to leave Gatrie and Mia to protect and watch over the bed-ridden healer. Well, that and...

"How about Rolf? Is his arm any better?" Mist sighed and shook her head, kicking some dirt around on the ground. "Great. Just great!" Titania would be fine to fight tomorrow, but Soren was obviously strained (he was paler then usual, and was shouting at Shinon from his seat inside the shelter) and Ike didn't want to risk any permanent damage by having him fight too early. Rhys was more likely to vomit over everything and everyone then be useful, and Rolf's arm had been next to useless since a wild bear had attacked him and Shinon while out hunting.

It looked like, to the hero, the world was out to get him and wouldn't mind going through his friends to get to him. And now, another headache to annoy him even further (as if his head didn't hurt since the mercenaries recent health problems).

"And can anyone tell me why the goddess Sothe was there? He might be taller and stronger, but since when did he _help_ Daein? He was on our side three years ago!" There was the sound of someone moving from inside the shelter, and Shinon walked out, followed by a limping Soren. Mist tried to get him to sit down again, but Soren ignored her.

"Soren, sit down and let Mist take care of you. You of all people should know we can't afford to let anyone else go down." Soren sighed and sat down on a barrel. Mist and Ike pointedly ignored the fact that his feet nearly didn't touch the ground, though Ike wondered if Soren was _really _that short.

"Honestly? I expected Sothe was from Begnion or Crimea, the thought of him being Daein never occurred to me. However, that changes little. We just have to be more careful then before, especially since he knows all of our strengths and weaknesses." Soren took a breath in as he winced- Mist was healing him but the arrow wound would impede him for some time. Ike nodded.

"Alright, I expected that much. But who was that light mage? I've never seen someone like that." Soren shrugged.

"I expect it is the 'Maiden of Dawn ' we were told about. Obviously when the Begnion men hired us they could have given us better reports. Still, judging from their appearances, I will be surprised if any of the others are as skilled as Sothe. The archer, for example. That was a lucky shot." Which Ike was inclined to believe, if just to not cause Soren's pride to be hit anymore. It was already clear, from him chewing-out Shinon, that he was furious his plan had failed. Ike looked behind him as he heard the sounds of a horse trotting towards them.

Oscar was unmounted, but lead his horse towards them. He paused when he met with Shinon, but the sniper just ignored him and continued walking. Some distance away, where Mia, Gatrie, and Boyd were setting up camp (the mercenaries were in no condition to move), Gatrie paused in his work to try to talk to Shinon. The red-head just shook his head and walked off, towards where Rolf and the other injured would probably be.

"Ike... Can I talk to you?" Oscar had an uneasy look on his face, though he still had a slight smile for appearances. Ike nodded and glanced towards Oscar's horse.

"Is your horse alright?" Oscar nodded and, petting the mane, the horse letting out a soft neigh. "Mist... Soren... You should probably make sure everything is going alright." Soren nodded and forced himself to stand. He hesitantly took Mist's aid as he limped towards their makeshift camp. Oscar gave Ike a thankful look. "Is it about Rolf?" Ike asked, not wanting to dance around the subject. Oscar sighed and nodded once. Oh.

Ike felt like he did a month ago, having to tell Oscar about his brother's injury. As it was, it was amazing Shinon had been able to kill the bear and carry Rolf back fast enough to save the arm. It would still be months before Rolf could even think about picking things up with his arm.

"He'll get better, he's tough for his age. And Mist is a great healer, and you know I won't let anything happen to him." Oscar sighed again, and Ike felt like he was making things worse. But what could he say? Although no one said it, Rolf and Rhys would slow them down a considerable amount. And they were already chasing a much smaller and more intelligent (as in the land in Daein) opponent. Still, Ike had refused to leave a skeletal guard in the fort and leave behind some good fighters. It wouldn't be fair to them. Besides, it would help keep _some _of the worry down.

"I know, its just... He won't say it, but I'm his older brother. He's in a lot of pain, and even Mist's healing... Well we could use a heal staff every day but I doubt that would help much. Moving around so much... Its not just him, and I'm not the only one worrying. Boyd's been running himself ragged. Titania's distracted. Even Shinon... Of course he won't say anything." Oscar let out a slightly forced laugh. "Shinon could have killed all of them without a second thought. But he didn't, he didn't even hit them. I know you can't do everything, but I decided I should bring it to your attention." Ike nodded and looked at the camp as it was being set up.

He couldn't see Shinon, or Boyd. Gatrie was struggling to raise a tent and Mia was dashing across the field... Towards them.

"Ike! Oscar! We've got a problem!" Oscar and Ike only glanced at each other before the knight climbed onto his horse and road towards Mia, Ike running behind him. "Mist says its something with Soren!"

* * *

"We have enough food for three days. Five if we skip a meal, ten if we only eat a little every day." Edward glanced towards Leonardo and Nolan, who were trying to set up the two tents they brought. Sothe had gone out scouting and, though he didn't say, to try to get some more supplies. Micaiah closed her eyes and held her face in her hands. She was sitting on a low tree branch on a bent-over tree, Yune perched on her shoulder.

This was an utter nightmare. Nearly no supplies, outclassed in every level, and outnumbered and being hounded by an unknown enemy. No, they did know who was chasing them. The famed Greil Mercenaries. Half of Micaiah's mind wished she didn't know who was chasing them.

"At least Sothe knows their weaknesses and strengths and stuff." Edward said, guessing what his leader and friend was thinking. Micaiah smiled slightly at the young myrmidon. He was tired, you could see it in his eyes, but he refused to rest. They couldn't, at this point, afford to have anyone not pull their own weight. "We'll be fine! We haven't been caught by the Begnion troops yet, so how can these mercenaries be any different?" A flash of green jumped out of a tree and landed at the base of Micaiah's.

"They're more dedicated, but there's no way they know what Begnion is doing. Comand- I mean Ike has more morals then that." Sothe looked up at Micaiah and smiled, though his eyes had a gleam of exhaustion in them.

"Sothe! What did you see?" Micaiah asked, climbing down easily. Leonardo and Nolan (having finished setting up the tents) came over as well. They were in a loose circle and Sothe shook his head, rolling his shoulders and yawning.

"We should sit down so I can explain everything easier... And I'm pretty sure we're all tired. We could use some sitting." Micaiah nodded and followed, sitting next to him on a patch of leaves. Leonardo and Edward sat next to each other, on some dirt. Nolan knelt as Sothe started to speak.

"They're all there, and if we get into a long fight it wouldn't be a battle, it wouldn't even be a skirmish for them. Ike alone could take us all, and they have more people then the ones you all saw. Um, they have the two paladins, a general, a swordmaster, a fighter, and two snipers. Oh, and a sage plus two healers..." Micaiah could see Edward's eyes grow wide at the thought of another sword-wielder. Leonardo hid his surprise more, but he trained constantly and was still an archer. Two snipers on one team? That alone could, probably, beat them.

"So what you're saying is we can't get tied down in a fight." Micaiah said quickly, not letting the shock and fear engulf them. Even Nolan looked a little worried, and he was pretty positive. Sothe's eyes widened, realizing what he had said. Quickly after he shook his head and nodded.

"Yeah. But the only reason I know this much is because I fought with them... But here's the thing. The sage just had an arrow in him, so we can safely say he won't be fighting soon. I'm not too sure about the paladin, but we could get lucky. One of their snipers wasn't there, so its safe to say he's injured or sick. Same with the general and swordmaster. Now, what I can guess from that is that Ike doesn't leave his camp empty. I can't say why, but he'll definitely won't now that his sage was hurt." Edward cocked his head to one side and Leonardo looked puzzled. Nolan spoke up.

"Why? Sure, supplies are important but he can't seriously believe he'll be attacked by us. Besides, the sage could just hang around the back lines." Sothe gave Nolan a weak smile. Micaiah noticed Yune was missing. Nothing too bothersome, but Micaiah knew she would have to lead her friends out of trouble and could use all the help she could get.

"Ike's very close to his tactician. And that same tactician is extremely careful... But I can confidently say we won't be killed by them, probably only captured to be killed by Begnion." Now Micaiah was wondering just what magic hat Sothe was pulling his ideas and thoughts out of. Edward was leaning back, holding his head. Leonardo was handling it a little more maturely, but Micaiah could tell he was uncertain. Nolan just shrugged when Micaiah looked at him, as if to say, 'don't look at me, I don't know'.

"How can you say that? They took a shot at you Sothe! You can't say they aren't serious!" Micaiah was well aware her voice was ridiculously high and sounded like she was desperate. But she was, she had her friends to protect and now Sothe's old war 'friends' were coming after them! Did they have any idea that Sothe was even with them? Surely they did- just how many green-haired left-handed people could their be in Tellius? Sothe ran a hand through his hair and looked away.

"Its getting dark." He said, avoiding the question. Sure, it was. But Micaiah felt hurt when he refused to meet her eyes. "We should start a fire or set up a watch. Maybe have a little something to eat, as we missed lunch." Edward glanced at Leonardo who shrugged. Leonardo seemed to be the one Edward went to if he wanted to have something confirmed, or if he wanted to show off a new skill. They seemed pretty close, as far as Micaiah could tell.

"A fire? Is that safe?" Nolan asked, standing and leaning on his ax. Sothe shrugged and made a circle in the dirt with his dagger. Micaiah stood up and sighed.

"I'm alright with it if you can be certain we won't be attacked. I don't think any of us want to be running around in the dark." Sothe looked hesitantly at his longtime friend, his eyes ragged from running around most of the day. Micaiah couldn't help but feel bad- how hard had Sothe been working to try to keep them all safe? And here she was, thinking he was being overconfident and thinking too highly of Ike. Even if he _was_ idolizing the 'hero'.

"... I suppose I can't be certain." He stood too, leaving only Edward (who was lying on the ground, looking up at the canopy) and Leonardo (who was looking at the sky while he was held up by his arms) sitting. "I can take first watch then-" Nolan shook his head.

"You need to rest Sothe. You've been running around all day. I'll take first watch, but first we can eat some crackers." Sothe hesitated before nodding and Micaiah leaned close to Sothe as Nolan went to get the food (Leonardo and Edward weren't paying them any attention, all wrapped up in their own thoughts). Sothe put his arms around her, and Micaiah closed her eyes and she breathed in and out.

"It'll be fine, I promise... I'll die before they hurt you, I swear. I'll never leave you again." And as he lightly kissed the top of her head, Micaiah knew he was telling the truth.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me! Is there anything else that hasn't gone wrong?" Ike looked close to punching someone or something. Mist was positively shaking, though it could be from exhaustion or fear.

"It'll be alright Ike... Its just a- ah- minor complication." Soren was lying down on as many blankets they were able to find, his entire middle covered in blood. The reason why was currently next to him on the blankets, too covered in Soren-bits to be very noticeable. An arrow-head, Mist hadn't seen when she healed Soren at first. Which meant she had to cut him open again (while he was being held down by a panicking Ike) and pull it out, and then re-heal him.

"Minor complication?" Ike yelled, starting to pace back and forth. Titania was lying several yards away, sitting up but not standing so she could keep her stress-levels (which had reached all-new heights recently) somewhat down. Mist was glad Rolf and Rhys were being kept in another tent.

"You just had an open surgery! That's not minor! You won't be able to travel for ages!" Mist was looking at the ground nervously, rocking forward and back on her heels. Soren had what could only be described as a pouting look.

"I can too! Just put me on a stretcher or some other contraption, like we've been doing with Rhys and Rolf." Ike scowled. It was clear he didn't care if Soren could travel, he just didn't want him to.

"Ike? May I speak?" Usually Titania wouldn't need Ike's ok, but with the mood the bluenette was in, it was safer to check.

"Huh? Alright Titania..." Ike glanced over at his friend. She was in a much better condition then Soren, and she would be able to travel in the morning.

"We don't have to have everyone move. We can leave two or three people with Soren, Rolf, and Rhys... Maybe Gatrie, Shinon, and Oscar? The rest of us can go ahead and just meet up with each other in a pre-planned location. Or, Oscar's an alright tracker. I'm sure he could follow us if we leave a few signs." Ike had a hesitant look on his face, and Mist could understand.

"Splitting our group wouldn't be a good idea... But we can't afford to loose time..." Mist reached out to hold onto her brother's arm.

"Brother! It would only be a few days. But Gatrie and Shinon? I can understand Oscar..." Mist looked at Titania as she let go of Ike's arm, going back to cleaning up Soren and wiping off the blood and gore. The mass of it all was already gone.

"Either way, this conversation can be held another time and you both," Ike looked at Soren and Titania, "need to rest. Dinner later, I'm pretty sure Oscar is cooking right about now." Before he could leave with Mist, Titania struggled to her feet. Mist ran over and helped her steady herself.

"You should rest Titania! You need to conserve your strength!" She complained as the paladin worked her way to the tent entrance.

"Don't worry about it Mist. I want to go see Rhys anyway... I'm fine, I'll rest later." Knowing that arguing with Titania was futile, Mist sighed and helped Titania out of the tent, leaving Ike and Soren. Ike looked back at his friend, who gave him a stern gaze from his bedroll.

"You should eat Ike... Ah, I'll be fine... Understandably, I would like to not have anything to eat tonight... If that's alright with you?" Ike felt his mouth go dry and swallowed to try to fix that. He nodded and said,

"Y-Yeah... That's alright. You better keep yourself well Soren. For us... For me..." Soren was just able to manage a nod.

"I know. What would you do without my tactical brilliance?" Soren asked, smirking slightly. Ike gave him a smile and left, but he couldn't help but feel that smile was hollow inside.

* * *

"So then I took a shot at the green-haired brat, but, damn, he can move fast. He knocked it away without even blinking... No way I'm loosing it though, I've just been thinking a lot more then usual..." Shinon wasn't quite sure what he was doing, talking to a sleeping Rolf. Rhys had gone out to get food for the three of them (with Titania's help) and Soren was staying in another tent (surprisingly he was sharing with Titania- Shinon wondered what it had taken to get him to agree to that) so Shinon was left alone with his pupil.

He was hardly allowed to see Rolf while he was awake, a little bit because he pretended to only be a little worried (taking his anger out on targets) and mainly because everyone was worried that seeing him would cause Rolf to become too excited and tire himself faster. Because, only a week after he had gotten in a stable condition, he had asked for an unstrung bow so he could practice stringing one.

And when that had been denied, he stopped. Until the next week, when he asked again. Every since then, whenever Shinon would stop in to see how he was doing, he would pull out the puppy-dog eyes (which still worked as well as ever, if not better) and try to beg a bow out of Shinon. Who could not, honestly, say it hadn't worked. Sadly.

"I hope you like beef and potato stew." Oscar's voice broke the silence, and Shinon was thankful he hadn't been talking. Shinon didn't look up at Rolf's older brother, but he did accept the food and started to eat it, silently. Oscar probably wanted to say something, but he didn't. Shinon could have thanked him, should have, but he knew he wouldn't. After several spoon-fulls, Shinon asked,

"Where's Rhys and Titania?" He didn't really feel like being rude, so his voice just sounded normal. Maybe a little tired, a little worn-out. Maybe a little like someone trying to do too much at the same time. Hopefully not.

"Rhys is feeling well enough to eat by the fire, so I offered to bring your food, and Rolf's... And I wanted to talk to you." Shinon felt something catch in his throat, but it wasn't food. Oscar sighed and put his food down, Rolf's bowl cooling by his. "It wasn't your fault." The silence could have been stretched, pulled out as far as possible. Shinon didn't.

"I know. Do you think people haven't told me that already?" Shinon could tell his voice was getting sharper, could tell he sounded like he didn't care, didn't want to hear it. Good, tell the stupid paladin I don't need to listen to him.

He had already gone through the guilt-ridden stage (damn, that had been the worst, like a hangover that refused to leave), but he was now in the aftermath. The bear... Damn, why'd he let Rolf take the shot? And when the stupid animal roared... It had scared him, caused the arrow to sink into the shoulder, not the head. Shinon hadn't been fast enough, strong enough, didn't have the will power to shove Rolf out of the way so he'd be safe. Didn't have the will power to take the hit himself.

"Nobody could have seen that happening. Nothing could have been done- even you miss shots sometimes." Shinon stood up suddenly, the only thing stopping him from jumping to his feet a bowl of stew. He curled his hands into fists, glaring at the startled man.

"I don't miss. I let them get away." And, with that, stormed out of the tent. Oscar sighed as he heard his younger brother stir and slowly sit up, yawning.

"W-Where'd Uncle Shinon go?" Oscar looked at his brother and smiled, handing him the bowl to put in his lap, the spoon making circles in the liquid.

"Here. Eat." Oscar didn't answer the question. Because, honestly, he really couldn't. Who knew what was going through Shinon's mind nowadays?

* * *

"I shoulda grabbed 'nother tent... Agh! That's my back your elbow's digging into!" Edward let out a soft yelp as Leonardo dug his elbow into his back. Nolan was sitting somewhere outside, but all he could probably hear were the two friends muttering at each other. Knowing Sothe and Micaiah, they were probably cuddling up in their tent.

"I know that!" Hissed the archer, kicking the myrmidon's legs, but missing. They usual had four tents (one for everyone except Sothe and Micaiah, who were perfectly fine to share) but they were small and not meant for two people. One person at most, so it was pretty much hell when a tent grew a hole too large to ignore and had to be used as a bag. Then someone was stuck sharing a tent.

"Why do you think I'm doing that? AH! Get you're freaking head off my neck!" It was, nearly always, Edward and Leonardo sharing. The two could be the best of friends, but when it came to room it was just awkward. Leonardo couldn't help but slightly enjoy being so close to his friend, especially since they were a _little more_ then friends.

But that didn't change much, considering they had to be careful (Nolan had to sleep somewhere, and the forest floor and trees didn't count) and Leonardo flat out refused to tell anyone about them.

"Make me, Leo." Edward muttered as said archer couldn't stop a shudder run up his spine at Edward's cool breath on the back of his neck. Leonardo then did 'make him' by elbowing him in the stomach. Edward let out a hiss of pain and muttered, "You're no fun," before withdrawing as far as he could away from him and still be in the tent. Which was not very far at all.

A somewhat awkward silence fell into the darkness, the only sounds being night birds like owls and Nolan pacing as he kept watch. Leonardo could feel Edward's quivering figure behind him, and felt a little bad. He was usually the one snapping at the myrmidon, and he never held back. If he did, Edward might go soft. Of course, that didn't mean Leo didn't feel bad about the whole thing...

"When will you let me tell them?" Edward's voice was so soft, Leonardo nearly thought he was imaging it. Then, said sword-wielder shifted position so he was sitting up, his head tilted towards his friend. Leonardo tightened his grip on the blanket that coated the ground, letting out a breath. It came out as a puff of steam, showing Leonardo just how cold it was outside of the warm blankets and the warmth of another body. Before he was able to answer (answer how? That's the _real _question) the tent flap opened and Leonardo saw Edward squint as the moonlight (a full moon- good or bad?) poured in. Leonardo pretended to be asleep.

"Your turn Leo..." He felt himself being shaken lightly. "Do you need to go out?" Nolan's deep voice asked Edward. Leonardo couldn't see, but he could guess Edward shook his head and lay back down. Leonardo yawned, for real due to the lack of sleep he had had, and sat up.

"Alright Nolan... G'night. Sothe's next up, right?" Nolan nodded and backed out (though only his chest could really fit inside with Edward and Leonardo inside anyway) so the archer could get out. Outside, in the cold, the first thing he did was shudder. Dang, it was _really _cold. Leonardo let himself hop around as Nolan crawled inside of the tent. Once he was inside, Leonardo sucked in some cold air and prepared himself for a long two or three hours of nothing but the cold and the moonlight.

"... Good night Edward... Hopefully soon..." It was muttered, and there was no physical way anyone could hear it. But, somehow, it made him feel better. A lot better.

Inside the tent, Edward took in a deep breath and let it out in an equally deep sigh. He shuddered as the tent seemed to get colder, despite the fact Nolan was larger then Leonardo and should give out more heat... Edward mentally shook his head. He just needed to sleep off the day like it was a bad dream; a bad dream that was both real and wouldn't go away.

* * *

Shinon couldn't get himself to sleep. He rolled all over his sleeping roll, tried to pace for several minutes to let out some excess energy, and even thought about taking over Mia's watch for the last thirty or so minutes of it. Thought about it, being the key words there. The cold was a good enough deterrent to cause that idea to fly out of his mind quicker then a bird laguz.

"Ngh... Where yah off tah?" Gatrie was half-asleep, and Shinon nearly left anyway but then the bulky figure shifted so an arm was able to grab the back of his shirt. "Don't... Don't tell me yer leaving fer... fer some dumb reason." Gatrie was so tired from setting everything up (he probably had done more then Shinon had, that's nearly certain) but he must have woken up when Shinon threw his blanket off. Crap. Shinon had half a mind to slap Gatrie's hand away; instead he gently pried his fingers off his winter shirt. It was spring in half a month, but nobody had told the weather that and it still was cold enough to lightly frost everything and nearly freeze their water.

"Go to sleep. We're going to be up early in the morning and you need to rest." Shinon was nearly out the door when Gatrie replied, his words slurred and lazy. Yes, the general was more asleep then awake. Again, not surprising. He slept like he was still growing. Well, he probably was.

"Ser... Ser do yah... Shenion..." Gatrie was right, dang him, but Shinon wasn't about to give up that easily. He opened up the tent and hissed as a rush of cold air ran in, causing his breath to turn pale in the air and Gatrie to wake up a little more. "Where _are _yah off too? If yah uncomfortable... Yah can sleep wit me?" Gatrie shifted so he was able to get a good look at Shinon. Hair down, the sniper was well aware he looked more like a mess then the tough sniper he looked like elsewhere. That's why he liked having Gatrie as his tent mate- plus it helped him not be paranoid and think Gatrie was running off to go sleep with some girl. In his defense, it was a perfectly reasonable fear.

Shinon turned towards his close friend, one hand on his hip. The other was hanging down- usually he would be holding a bow. A very dangerous bow that could be used to strike fear in the heart of others. And a bow that usually never failed its owner. The last image of Rolf's arm (a twisted mess still, as the muscles healed) hit Shinon and cause him to feel a little weak.

"I don't feel like it Gatrie. Get yourself to sleep before I knock you out myself." Shinon snapped, glaring at the blond mess. Gatrie moaned as he rubbed his face, blinking as he cleared his eyes. Any other night, Shinon might have taken Gatrie's offer. But tonight wasn't any other night, he wasn't in a good mood whatsoever.

"Shinon... Waz wrong?" Shinon glared at his half-asleep friend for several seconds, before heading outside without a second thought. "Shinon?..."

It was too freaking cold, that was the first thought running through the sniper's mind. The second thing was, 'where is Mia anyway?'. She _was _the watch, but it didn't look like she was anywhere all too visible. Shuddering and rubbing his shoulders with his arms, Shinon let out a warm breath as he looked around. No snow on the ground, thank the goddess, but it would be frosty in the morning. That would be good to remember, so he didn't stumble out and nearly kill himself on the ground.

Starting to walk around, Shinon saw the entire place was silent and somehow more peaceful then the fort. Maybe it was because it was a new place, or maybe everyone was too busy shuddering in their tents to make noise or go outside. Like you are, idiot... Shinon shook his head and started to pull up his hair as he walked, holding his leather strap in his mouth.

"Hey Shinon, what're you doing up?" Shinon nearly jumped out of his socks (probably would have been smarter to put on boots) as he spun. He glared at Mia who, despite the cold and wearing her trueblade outfit, seemed fine in the cold. He didn't reply until he was stringing his hair up, a rough minute later.

"... I couldn't sleep. Who's next for lookout?" He asked curtly. Mia thought for a moment and then shrugged. "You're not sure?" Shinon nearly dropped his strap of leather- it was an untold rule to always remember who was next for lookout. Or you could end up waking up the wrong person who might send a fireball your way (Shinon would never get the smell of burnt armor, Gatrie's armor, out of his mind).

"Well... Boyd woke me up, and he said it was Soren... But who wants to wake him up? Anyway, I'm not really _that _tired." Shinon might have believed her (the cold could keep anyone up) but then she forced down a yawn and Shinon found himself smirking even wider at her.

"Sure. Heh, I'll take over then and wake up Soren in an hour or something." Mia raised an eyebrow but shrugged, yawning again. She didn't look like she minded that much.

"Alrighty then. G'night Shinny!" Shinon's eyes narrowed, his 'shut up' glare. Mia laughed and ran a hand through her hair, heading away. As she started to walk away, Shinon walked in the opposite direction.

"Don't call me that- Rolf calls me that."

* * *

"Ah... Good morning everyone... Good night sleep?" Obviously Edward hadn't slept well, from the bags under his eyes and the fact he was putting his left boot on his right foot. Leonardo, seeing this, glanced at his own shoes. Good, left on left and right on right. Rubbing his eyes Leonardo squinted as he looked at Sothe who was outlined by the few rays of sunlight that managed to push themselves over the trees.

It was so early, earlier then Edward or Leonardo usually woke up. Micaiah had woken them up once it had gotten bright enough to somewhat see. They needed to move as fast as possible, so the bloody Greil Mercenaries wouldn't get them and send them off to Begnion. That would be bad.

"Betta' then yah, Ed. Your shoe's on the wrong foot, dummy." Nolan yawned and was running his fingers through his hair in a vain attempt to comb it, looking tired by alright. Of course, he had an amazing ability to fall asleep on command, while Leonardo spent most of the night cold and nervous. Still, he seemed a little curt from yesterday's chaos and last night's lack of sleep.

"Ah... We should all get moving soon..." Micaiah was leaning against Sothe who was, eyes closed, putting on his clothes. He already had his shirt and pants on, of course, but his scarf and boots and such things. They were sitting on a well-sized rock Leonardo could remember tripping over during the night. Leonardo was sitting on his bag as he finished up with his shoes and strung his bow, checking his bag and supplies.

Edward, hearing Micaiah's words, groaned rather loudly and in an annoying tone. He was taking his boot fully off and dropped it, holding his head in his hands as he leaned back on his seat on a 'dry' patch of ground.

"Mic-ai-ah... Wh-h-h-h-y? Ten minutes!" Edward might be the youngest in the Brigade, but that didn't give him a total moan-and-groan pass. This was enough, and Nolan tapped him slightly hard in the back with his boot (being nearly finished with packing) and curtly reminded him,

"Shut up. The rest of us are tired too." Nolan yawned and strapped his steel ax to his waist. Leonardo threw his quiver over his back and forced himself to stand up, nearly falling over from a lack of sleep. He shook his head and grabbed his bag as Sothe woke up enough to speak.

"Ten miles 'fore we can lunch. Few bites now then?" Ok, maybe 'speaking' was a little bit of a stretch. Half-awake sentences would be more correct. Leonardo suppressed a yawn, although he was quite awake compared to everyone else in their little group. Micaiah was, literally, nodding away but was gently shaken by Sothe to wake up. Sothe would have looked awake from the back or side, but his eyes were closed and he swayed slightly. Edward was lying on the ground looking a little pathetic. Nolan's eyes were closed but he nodded numbly and grabbed his bag.

Nolan nodded and pulled out some cheese and jerky as well as a knife. A good choice- you could eat bread walking but cutting cheese? Maybe Sothe could do that, but Leonardo doubted he could. Being so tired as he was, Nolan nearly cut through a slice of jerky before noticing the cheese was, indeed, cut. He passed it around, eating his slice of cheese and jerky easily.

Edward closed his eyes as he ate, leaning back (he had sat up to get his food) so far that he fell over. Leonardo tried to suppress a laugh but failed and it slipped out- as a small giggle. Which was followed by a bleat of laughter from Edward.

"W-Was that yah Leo? Ha, ha!" He didn't even try to sit up again, and the others watched the friends messing around and try to shake off their wariness. "You call that a laugh? That's a little girl's giggle!" Leonardo coughed as Edward pointed at himself.

"Now me? I'm the total model of a man! Tough, hard, and strong!" Micaiah laughed and Sothe raised an eyebrow.

"Since when were you any of those things?" The rouge asked, eating his food as he stretched his limbs. Probably a good idea, but Leonardo was hardly able to stand straight and not become dizzy. Maybe he should have slept more then he had, but he didn't want to. For some reason, last night, the idea of being in a closed area with another had scared him. Maybe he just was used to his personal space. More likely, he just didn't feel like going to sleep but was feeling the effects now.

"That's a good question Ed. The toughest I've seen you certainly isn't now." Leonardo couldn't help but poke fun at his boyfriend (technically, though nobody really knew about it) and laughed at the scowl in return.

"Come on you guys, don't make so much fun of Eddy..." Sothe managed to keep his face somewhat straight up to then, but it cracked and Sothe started to laugh. "Leave some for me!" Laughter grew around the loose circle at Edward's cry of protest.

"Ah, Edward, we're just messin' with you!" Micaiah yawned and stretched her arms as she looked around the group. "Are you all ready to get moving? We should leave now, if you are." A mood of seriousness replaced the joyful mood that had been taking over the Dawn Brigade. Leonardo sighed and stretched his limbs to prepare for a long day of walking, and possibly fighting.

"I'm ready when you all are..." The archer found himself being leaned upon by his favorite myrmidon. "Ed-Ward! What's wrong with you standing up yourself?" He moaned, mostly only complaining because he hardly had enough strength to stand up himself.

"I'm too la-zy Leo... But I can walk if yah help me..." Edward gave Leonardo his puppy-dog eyes as Nolan snickered. He probably guessed the relationship between the two, but he had never asked about it.

The fighter hoisted his ax on his shoulder and rolled his shoulders. Sothe had two knives out, and Leonardo took a few seconds to string his bow and put it over his shoulder, within easy reach. They weren't going to take any risks- they could be attacked any second.

"Well let's get goin', if yah aren't gonna slow us down Ed." Sothe was yawning as he spoke, but glanced around at the ready Dawn Brigade.

"Alrighty! Let's get going!" Micaiah's smile looked a little forced, but it was there. And at that, they started following Sothe deeper into the forest.

* * *

They would leave Oscar, Titania, and Gatrie behind. Anymore and further injuries would be hard to handle. Any less and Ike wouldn't feel comfortable in Soren's, Rhys', and Rolf's safety.

Oscar would go because he refused to leave his younger brother behind. Titania was slightly injured, but would heal, and would be great to protect Rhys. It was a well known fact that they had feelings for each other. Just how far their feelings went wasn't such a well known fact.

Ike had finally chosen Gatrie to provide a good, solid defense so the paladins could use their range of movement without worrying about leaving a weak defense behind. It was logical, and Soren would have picked the same. Except, of course, one person who was lacking in the party that would be left behind.

"Ike..." Soren spoke softly as he lay on the ground, his stretcher comfortably wrapped in several heavy layers of sheer wool and heavy cloth (he had insisted on 'seeing Ike off'). Ike was on his knees so Soren wouldn't have to speak too loudly. Nearby, Ike could see Oscar and Boyd talking with Rolf. The youngest of the brothers was noticeably upset, and Ike assumed Shinon was as well. He hadn't seen the sniper since he dropped something off for Rolf, then he went to talk with Gatrie (who was also nowhere to be seen).

"You'll be fine Soren... I fully trust the people I'm keeping with you. I know you want me to stay behind but..." Ike couldn't finish his sentence because Soren forced one of his hands to grab onto Ike's. Soren was so cold... "Soren, you should get inside before you catch a cold." Soren frowned and shook his head slightly.

"N-Nonsense. I'll be fine... T-This is nothing." Maybe if he hadn't started shuddering, and if his face was bright red from the cold, Ike might have believed him. As it was, Ike was prepared to hurt some feelings if it would save Soren from a cold later on.

"You're going inside, whether you like it or not." Soren opened his mouth to start complaining, but Ike stood up and looked down at his friend. "You'll be fine Soren-"

"I'm worried a-about you! I-Ike... You know your safety is the... The only thing I really c-care for." Ike hesitated from calling Oscar and Mist over. Oscar could, easily, carry Soren himself. Mist was just there to make sure Soren's wounds wouldn't be aggravated.

"... Soren..." Soren shook his head, and Ike stopped speaking. Soren looked frail today, or maybe it was just Ike. Soren had lost so much blood the other day, it was no wonder he was a little pale. His red eyes still retained their bright fierceness though, and his eyes gleamed in the early morning light.

"You better stay safe Ike! O-Or... Or I'll never forgive myself!" Ike blinked in surprise, but nodded somewhat numbly.

"I... I promise I'll stay safe. But you need to rest too Soren... So I'll stay safe, if you stay alive." Soren gave Ike a small smile. "Oscar... Mist... Soren should get inside, and the rest of us should leave now." The two came over and carefully picked up the sage. As he was brought away, Ike could still feel Soren's eyes on him.

"Ike? I'm ready to go now." Boyd's voice was soft as he looked at Rolf. The young teenager's arm was in a tight sling, not moving as the green-haired archer talked to a red-haired sniper. Ike glanced over at Boyd and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? Its not to late to go with your brothers." Ike knew how close the three were, though he didn't know the exact details. Boyd sighed and ran a hand through his hair, smiling slightly as Rolf turned towards them and waved. Shinon scowled and looked away.

"Rolf's growing up, and Oscar can take care of him... Nah, its just this entire thing. I'll follow yah everywhere, y'know that... But I don't like how we're already down two people in one day." Boyd didn't need to bring that to Ike's attention- he knew the problems they were already facing. Soren was the brains behind everything, and he was already out of commission. Who was next? Ike had an uneasy feeling that he was going to see more of his friends hurt before this was all over.

"I... I know Boyd. Do you mind seeing if Mist is ready to leave? I know Mia's been ready since dawn, and Shinon already told me we can leave." Boyd nodded and walked away, Rolf running up towards Ike. Shinon followed behind him, much slower.

"Ike! I wish I was able to help... But I know you can get this whole thing over soon. I'll keep everyone safe, and I'm sure my arm will heal soon!" Ike couldn't help but smile at Rolf's carefree and easygoing personality, his positive attitude helping calm the tension in the air.

"Bah, you just need to stay safe Rolf. Little Ikey's gonna be fine. Now go bug Oscar or something." Rolf scowled at Shinon who patted the top of his head as he turned him towards the remaining tents. As Rolf ran off, Ike raised an eyebrow at Shinon.

"You seem to be fine, leaving him behind." Ike commented. Shinon shifted his position a little, looking at Rolf as he ran away.

"He'd just slow us down, and right now he can't fight. Why would I _not _be fine, leaving a useless person behind?" Shinon snapped at Ike, eyes narrowing. Ike shrugged as Mist and Mia ran towards them.

"We're all ready brother!" Mist was holding her bag and a heal staff. Behind them, Boyd was returning as he talked with Gatrie. All four of them were bundled up with winter clothes atop their usual garb. Ike waited for Boyd and Gatrie to get within hearing distance before he talked.

"Alright. We should get going... Now, if anyone wants to join the smaller party, or if anyone's having doubts in general... Well, speak now or forever hold your peace. We're going to be chasing after a pretty smart enemy who we've fought with before. For those of you who don't know, that green-haired young man _was _Sothe." A lack of any response to that sentence made it clear everyone had already known. Well, one thing down.

"So... Is there anything anyone wants to say?" Boyd raised his hand and a small roll of laughter went over the mercenaries. Oscar and Titania joined them as Boyd started to speak.

"Yeah. I say we grab Sothe, kick his butt, and knock some sense into his spiky-head!" The laughter came back and was noticeably louder.

"Here, here!" Gatrie said, and Ike could have sworn Shinon muttered 'hell yeah'. Ike felt a grin flash on his face. He was with his friends, and here they were, ready to fight to finish a job he had taken on. How could he have doubted them?

"So say your last goodbyes, we're heading out!" Ike shouldered his bag and started off. He didn't need to turn around to know his friends, allies, and companions, were following.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Wow, thank you so much for the positive reviews! You have no idea how much that can help a writer out, really! And while I've received some doubts about the slash contents of this story, I can assure you that those parts will not make up the overall plot whatsoever, so you have nothing to fear. So now, go enjoy your second chapter.

**youdon'tknow: **Wow, that was a LONG review! Ah, its fun to read a good review from the person you're writing the story for... I'm extremely glad you think I'm doing a good job so far, though I do think Edward is complaining more then he really would... Of course, I wouldn't be so much complaining as I would be passed out... Anyway, I'm a pretty big Greil Mercenaries fan, so I had to give them a few handicaps so it would be fairer. And yes, I did pick the mercenaries (who are going after the DB) carefully and for a few reasons...

And now I'm going to admit- I wasn't planning on having the story go past what we would consider Part One in the game. I'm not too good at AR stories, and I'm, as I've told you, hesitant to involve too many characters. Maybe I'll split the story into parts.

* * *

Four and a half hours into the hike (and over a small stream, down several steep hills, and narrowly passing a sheer cliff) and Leonardo was ready to throw in the towel. Edward was ready to be captured by the Greil Mercenaries ages ago.

"Ah! Of all the places to be running around, it has to be this forest, doesn't it? It can't be somewhere nice and safe, with only a few inclines of a few feet... No- we're the Dawn Brigade! We choose the most dangerous places and piss the most dangerous people off!" Edward had been going on and off for the better part of two hours. Micaiah once told Leonardo it was Edward's 'way to cope'. Leonardo thought that, if he had enough energy to complain, he had enough energy to hike. Even though it was a little much. Honestly, the one place in Daein that was hard to get through (Daein being surrounded by mountains, it had a relatively flat ground average) and they had to be in that area.

"Where _are _we going? I don't remember having a base near here." Leonardo asked Sothe, who was several yards ahead of everyone else. Micaiah was just behind Leonardo, who was in front of Nolan (who was taking up the back). The gap between Edward (second to last) and Micaiah (third to last) was at least three yards, and had been (steadily) growing for the last hour. Leonardo was certain the only reason Nolan was last was because he wanted to be.

"There's a road if we looked for it, but that's the best choice and therefor the last place I want to go." The words, 'if we want to avoid capture' weren't said, but they didn't need to be. Even Edward had shut up his moaning, though Leonardo could understand the complaints. That didn't mean he would have let Edward continue though. "I'm thinking we can camp near the town up ahead, and I should be able to steal some supplies." Micaiah, at that point, sighed rather loudly and everyone stopped and glanced at her. Sothe ran back and held her softly in his arms.

"I-Is everything alright?" He asked, his eyes gleaming with care. Leonardo looked away as did Nolan, but Edward took the opportunity to run up to Leonardo, who leaned on a tree and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes... But why do we have to steal? Why can't these, supposedly legendary, mercenaries understand what's going on? Daein is in trouble and being destroyed by those... By the Begnions! And we're the only people who can really help and we're being chase by people who should be helping us!" Micaiah cried out, as Sothe held her tightly.

"What do you want Edward?" Leonardo hissed under his breath.

"I know... But I'm working on a plan, and I won't let anything happen to you..." Leonardo noticed he said 'you' instead of 'us'.

"I'm tired... Can't I just come over and be with my- ACK!" Edward was hit in the head and the sound he made broke Micaiah and Sothe's little moment. Edward was rubbing the back of his head and Leonardo just shrugged. Sothe sighed.

"Is... Did something happen?" Micaiah asked. Leonardo shook his head and Sothe put his daggers away (when did he get them out? That's what Leonardo wanted to know) and started to speak. Nolan had come up so they were all within a yard or so of each other.

"The Greil Mercenaries I know wouldn't let Begnion get away with something like this... At the same time, the chances of us defeating them in any kind of battle are pretty low. The only thing I can think of is to lead the mercenaries around Daein, showing them what the heck is going on... That should convince Ike, if not the others, that we're just doing something good. Even if we were enemies last time, they aren't the kind to hold grudges." Nolan raised an eyebrow as he leaned against his ax.

"Is that going to work? Begnion is the ones paying them, after all." Leonardo couldn't help but agree with the fighter.

"He's right Sothe. I know you think you know Ike, but he's got to have changed. No man is perfect, and if he needs the money enough... Well, Begnion could just bribe him to not say anything." Sothe shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

"Its the only thing I can think of. Anyone got a better idea that won't get us all killed?" Sothe shot at the others, his fierceness startling the archer. What was wrong with Sothe? Everyone knew he was close to Ike (or Commander Ike, as the rouge usually called him) but to protect the man's character... It was like Sothe was good friends with him! Friends, with the man who practically single-handily destroyed Daein!

"Sothe..." Micaiah's voice was soft, her eyes full of confusion. Yune was nowhere to be seen. "I know you fought with the man, and I understand it must be hard for you to be fighting him... But we don't have a choice." Her voice returned to its usual hard and determined tone. "But we can't give up hope! We'll go to the town and stock up, then we can lead these mercenaries on a trip they'll never forget!" Micaiah sounded so certain, Leonardo couldn't help but smile.

"That's right! We'll lead them all around Daein, from the Crimean border to the desert!" Edward seemed a lot more energetic, now that something besides running was involved. Leonardo smiled at him, knowing how the young man tried so hard to be better, but without any formal training he wasn't going anywhere amazingly quick. Leonardo faced the same problems, with a lack of much formal training and a lack of anyone to train him.

"So let's get going so-" Micaiah stopped suddenly, and Sothe's eyes darted around. Yune had reappeared (Leonardo usually ignored the bird, but it had an uncanny relationship with Micaiah and always appeared before danger) and Micaiah's own eyes were set on an area of the forest.

"What's wrong? What is it?" Nolan asked, lifting his ax and glancing at that area. Micaiah didn't respond, and Leonardo notched an arrow in his bow. Edward lifted up his iron sword.

"H-Hello?" A hesitant, soft, voice came drifting out of the trees, and a young woman with black hair appeared. Sothe had his knives out but didn't throw them, though that could be because Micaiah had a hand on his arm.

"Hello, did you overhear us talking?" Micaiah asked. Considering that the woman just walked into their conversation, Leonardo guessed the answer to the question was 'yes'. The person blushed and rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear... Is it true, are you really the Dawn Brigade? I've heard so many good things about you, even if you are bandits!" She had a heal staff in her hands, and Leonardo assumed she wasn't too dangerous. If anything, she seemed more shy and nervous then a threat. But the archer only lowered his bow, and he could see Sothe's grip on their leader tighten.

"We are- but we can't stand around. We should go soon Micaiah."

"Oh please! I... I need someone's help, someone who's brave and stands up for Daein! Please, my abbot is sick and the Begnion soldiers refuse to give him what he needs..." The girl trailed off. It looked like she was going to cry. And then, in a totally un-Nolan moment, Nolan stepped forward and got close enough so he could put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I don't know what my friends think, but you seem like someone who could use our help." The girl looked up (she had closed her eyes and looked down to avoid looking at them) and nodded. Even from far away, her eyes had a gleam of passion of Daein's rebuilding. Even Sothe had put his weapons away, and Leonardo followed suit. Edward glanced at the archer, who shrugged. Who knew if the girl was for real or not?

"Yeah. If its a chance to deal a blow to Begnion, and help Daein... Well, we can take the trip." Sothe glanced at Micaiah, who nodded. Yune was perched on her shoulder.

"Of course, how could we not help?"

* * *

"Huh, this is strange..." Boyd, who Oscar had trained a bit in tracking, was following the clear footprints of the Dawn Brigade. They made little effort to hide where they had been staying, and it had taken only an hour or so of searching to find the remains of a campsite. Ike was right next to the fighter.

"Yes? What's wrong?" He asked. It was noon or just after, and they had been eating on the go. Ike brushed away the remains of some crackers as he glanced back. Mia was having a relatively easy time hiking, and Shinon looked like he always did- careless and rude. Mist was doing alright as well, though she seemed to be having to make an effort to keep up with the older and more experienced mercenaries. Well, that couldn't be avoided.

"Well, they've been staying in the forest this whole time to avoid the road... And it seems like they stayed here a little longer, because the imprints are deeper. He walked around and stopped on the other side of the forest path.

"See, an ax imprint. Its hard to see if you don't know what you're looking for, but I've made an imprint like this before. Steel, I'd say." Ike couldn't help but sigh. Trust Boyd to notice the _ax imprint _while tracking someone.

At least the pause in movement was allowing the others to rest a little. Mia was drinking some water, as was Mist. Shinon leaned against a tree and seemed to not care (or notice) that he was standing over some footprints.

"Can you get back to what's strange Boyd? We don't have all day." Or, to put it another way, they didn't want to be spending their entire time walking around a rough forest. The Dawn Brigade was not making it easy, and they had been forced to scale some otherwise avoidable dangers, just to follow the trail.

"What? Oh yeah, of course. Anyway, they stayed here for a while... Huh, there's a new set of footprints. Are you sure the report didn't mention any other members of the Brigade?" Boyd asked as they followed the ax-wielder's footprints. They stopped at the new prints.

"Yeah... Only five people, the 'Silver-Haired Maiden', Sothe, an ax-user, an archer, and a myrmidon." Ike didn't know it, but the others were listening in. Shinon's eyes flickered towards Ike's back when he mentioned an archer, and Mia's eyes gleamed at the idea of a new challenge.

"So where are they off to now?" Ike asked, hurrying the conversation. But Boyd had stopped, frowning. Ike scowled and asked again,

"Where are they going?" Boyd hesitated, but replied,

"... The road. They're heading back towards the road!" Mist had caught up to her brother and leaned against him. If Ike had bothered to look (or simply notice) he would have seen a slight blush on Boyd's face. Shinon and Mia had walked up, though Shinon stayed back a yard or two.

"Hey Ike, are we going to catch up to them or sit here and talk? I can't wait to fight another sword-wielder!" Mia's eyes gleamed with a fierce light and Ike glanced at her, then Mist, and then at Shinon. The sniper glared back and Ike looked away.

"If they're heading back to the road, they must think they can out run us. Well, we might not have Oscar or Titania with us, but I'm sure we can out run any of them! Let's go!" Ike started off at a steady trot, followed by Boyd. Mia let out a small laugh and quickly fell into step, followed by a slower Mist. Shinon started off at an almost lazy pace, and it seemed like he was going to slow the group down. Of course he didn't, slowly gaining speed but being able to keep up with the others.

In a way, his cooperation made Ike feel more confident. Of course he could just not care, eager for a new fight. They were all stir-crazy from the long journey to Daein, not stopping for anything except the side attack on a bandit group. That was hardly enough to shake off the cobwebs from their weapons. Ever since Ike had left his lordship, he couldn't help but feel he was letting everyone else down. Bastian had asked if they could be back in time for an important job, and that was only six months away. Hardly enough time to go on a manhunt across Daein.

Shinon followed the group almost lazily, hardly running but not walking either. They could all keep up the pace for long enough- hopefully it would be enough to close the gap on the tired Dawn Brigade and bring them down. Shinon wasn't sure why he wanted the entire ordeal over with. Part of him said he wanted to see Gatrie again, another part said he wanted to see Rolf. And yet another part of him just told him to shut up and run, and figure out the details later.

None of it really helped. Shinon wondered how Oscar was going, if they would get lost (bad) or get attacked by rouges (even worse). The two paladins could hold their own, and Shinon knew he should trust in Gatrie's lance. Or, at the very least, his indisputable power and a shield that resembled a large door. But the idiot was used to having a bow at his back, or a healer to fix him up if he took a risk. The sniper couldn't help but worry for his friend, his more then just a friend.

Shinon sighed and looked at Mist, who was right in front of him. Her brown hair trailed behind her as she ran, her heal staff gripped tightly in white-knuckled hands. She was scared. Why? Her brother could, despite all of Shinon's remarks, hold his own if it came down to it. Certainly she wasn't worried about Boyd, who practically needed to be held down so he could be healed. Mia was sometimes reckless, and she took more risks then you'd think. But it always paid off, and her skill with a blade had yet to be disputed. And Shinon... Shinon couldn't think of any reasons why Mist would worry about _him_ of all people. He was rude (on purpose) and got drunk (also on purpose). He pushed people away (except for Gatrie, but they had the same taste in ale, among other things) and generally was the most hated person in the group.

No, the were no reasons for Mist to worry about a rude drunk like him. Shinon decided she was worried about herself. She was just like Rolf, in a weird, girly sort of way (although, seeing as Rolf spent a lot of time with her, that could explain a lot about the young sniper) and just as young. Of course she had grown up during the last war, but Shinon doubted running around Daein was what she had wanted when she wanted peace. Maybe she was scared her talents wouldn't be up to scratch, scared she wouldn't be able to heal someone in time. Soren had nearly bled to death, before they could get him in a stable condition (the only reason Shinon knew that was because he had been called in by Soren and over-heard Mist talking with Ike).

Stupid fears, if the last war was anything to go by. No one had died then, no one would die now. That was what Shinon thought, anyway.

* * *

"Well I had a quick look around and there's roughly ten people in there. It'll take me some time to unlock the right doors, but I'm sure you'll be able to clean out the fighters while I'm at it." The group was right outside the building where the supplies were being hoarded by the Begnion soldiers. Edward nodded, fully awake now that a battle was in sight.

"Alright. Thank you so much for your help. I'm afraid I can only heal your wounds, but I'm still coming, whether you like it or not." Laura, as they learned her name was, said. Micaiah nodded, and said,

"Of course. You'll have your abbot's medicine in no time at all! Let's get ready, the more time we loose here the more time we give the Greil Mercenaries." Micaiah had, on the way to the town, explained their situation to the priest. The others quickly got into position, but as Micaiah was going to join then her hand was grabbed by Sothe. She let herself be pulled close to him, closing her eyes and digging her head into his chest.

"Sothe..." Micaiah started, only to be shushed by the rouge. It was comforting, his scent. A mix of sweat and strength, that shouldn't be good, but was. Micaiah could feel his chin resting lightly on her head.

"I'll be fine, but you must stay safe... I don't know what I'll... What we'll do if something happens to you." Micaiah looked up at her friend, ally, and everything. His eyes were soft, with a hard edge. Micaiah nodded.

"I know... We've done more then this, I'll be fine, you'll be fine. I know we can work past it all." Micaiah replied softly. She knew the others were pointedly _not _looking at them, checking their weapons or the area around them. Everywhere but the couple.

"I'll be with you in a few minutes, just stay safe." Micaiah just stood there as Sothe let go of her, his warmth quickly leaving her, the scent lingering for only a few moments. And then, a green blur, and then he was completely gone.

"Micaiah?" Nolan didn't let the silence stretch and Micaiah turned so she was looking at her other friends. They were all eager to help out Laura, and Micaiah smiled at them.

"Let's go, we better not let Sothe wait." Nolan nodded and picked up his ax. He waited for Micaiah to be behind him, then swung at the door. It buckled under the heavy blow, and Nolan quickly followed his blow by slamming into the door with his own shoulder. It was cracked now, but not broken. Edward motioned for Nolan to step aside, and he slashed at the area near the crack twice with his sword. It swung inwards, and Nolan ran in. He was followed closely by Edward, with Leonardo at his heels. Micaiah motioned for Laura to follow them, and took up the back herself.

It was time for their training and dedication to pay off.

The guards weren't very well trained, thankfully. Micaiah finished another one off with her light tome, hearing Leonardo's bow being released as another archer dropped down from the gap in the wall where most of the enemy was. They seemed to be waiting for the Dawn Brigade to arrive, but Micaiah told them to stay together. Nothing good could happen if someone ran off without help.

For her part, Laura had been helpful. Nolan had been grazed by an arrow, which could have slowed him down. As it was, Laura followed him and Micaiah around, as Edward and Leonardo took on enemy after enemy soldier. They did well, Leonardo's accuracy making up for the lack of damage he did. Edward had scored several luck hits, and they had clear out most of the second (out of three) level before Nolan and Micaiah had.

"Watch out!" An archer nearly took out Leonardo's left hand with a shot that was aimed at his shoulder. Leonardo managed to jump out of the way, but Micaiah let out a gasp of pain as it cut her cheek open. It started to bleed quickly, and Micaiah wiped away most of the blood as Laura healed her.

Nolan quickly sliced at the unprotected archer, and he fell to Edward's follow up slice. The fighter took a quick look around to make sure there were no other sudden attacks, then ran back to Laura and Micaiah. Leonardo was already there, as was Edward.

"Are we all alright? Speak up now, Laura... How's your staff handling everything?" While Micaiah was tired, she knew she couldn't rest. Laura looked just as exhausted, but smiled.

"I'm great, and I'll be fine for a while. We should hurry, before the enemy can receive reinforcements." Laura said, looking around. Edward and Leonardo nodded as Micaiah took a quick look around.

"Alright. There's two treasure chests over there, Leo, can you take out the soldier guarding them?" Leonardo answered with a nod and ran over there and started to take shots at him. "Edward, Nolan. There's two with lances and an archer by the door where Sothe should come out of. I'll follow you, Laura... Could you please help out Leonardo if he gets hit? Otherwise, stay near me. We'll be able to protect you." Everyone nodded and ran off. Leonardo had just dodged a javelin, and was taking another shot at an injured soldier. Nolan blocked an arrow with his ax, and Edward started a duel with one of the lancers.

Micaiah hurried over and hit the other soldier with a solid blow from her light tome, causing him to stumble. She took another breath and was going to finish him off, when a green blur sliced at his throat. Sothe looked at Micaiah and smiled, even thought they were in the middle of a battlefield.

"I told you I'd be back quickly! It looks like you guys have everything under control!" Edward scowled and moaned,

"I was going to get him! HYA!" He instead went after a poor archer, who was defenseless against the myrmidon's strong sword arm and fast blows. Nolan glanced at his hand, which had a small splinted in it from the archer's last arrow. Leonardo ran over with a new tome and a sword Micaiah couldn't recognize.

"Edward! Micaiah! These were in the chests!" Leonardo quickly gave Micaiah the thani and Edward the wind edge. Edward grinned and hugged Leonardo, causing the archer to blush a deep red. Micaiah laughed and hugged him as well, causing the red to go even darker.

"Thanks Leo! Now, let's go and finish this off quickly." Micaiah said, pulling back and ignoring Sothe's scowl. They got ready for a final charge when Sothe gasped and new figures appeared at the doorway.

"Mercenaries, let's go!" A deep voice yelled, sounding every bit as commander as Sothe had said. He (he being Ike, Micaiah assumed) was followed by a warrior, a swordmaster (Micaiah could hear Edward's gasp, though Nolan's surprise was hidden better), a cleric (who seemed rather tired, and a little young to be fighting), and a rather bored looking sniper.

"Damn! Let's hurry!" Ironically, Leonardo was the first to snap out of the shock of seeing their enemy clearly for the first time. His eyes still lingered on the sniper before said sniper glared right at Leonardo and ran forward, letting off an arrow once he was in range. Edward shoved Leonardo out of the way as Nolan and Sothe pushed forward, taking out the lancer and archer easily. Micaiah ran past them to blast an armored unit (it looked like he was the leader, glaring at her and openly shouting orders) with her new tome, thani.

While she wasn't used to using it, the attack landed and killed him in one blow. Behind her, the light mage could hear Laura healing Edward (hit in the shoulder by an arrow) and Leonardo killing the last lancer. Sothe broke into the chest and pulled out an energy drop, throwing it at Nolan. The fighter caught it quickly and drank it, putting the bottle aside.

"We better get going before they catch up- this way!" Sothe led them back to the armory where the medicine was, and Laura quickly found what she was looking for.

"Thank you so much for your help! Now run, Daein can't afford to have you captured!" The priest looked like she was ready to stall the Greil Mercenaries (where were the paladins and the sage, Micaiah wondered) but Micaiah shook her head.

"You're coming with us, we could use your help and you'll need to deliver this to your abbot safely. I haven't met any of these mercenaries, but they might think you've been working with us form the start. Now hurry, follow Sothe!" It looked like the rouge knew another way out, and he quickly opened up a door that Edward and Leonardo ran through with an almost comical haste.

"You go before me. If that sniper gets a good shot at either of you, you might be hurt badly." Nolan said, gently pushing Micaiah and Laura in front of him. Micaiah looked back at him and nodded, pulling Laura forward with her. Nolan followed after them, Sothe taking a few seconds to re-lock the door and push a few crates in front of the door. It wouldn't stop them, not if the warrior had anything to say about it. Micaiah could hear an ax biting into the wood right as she turned a corner and saw some stairs.

A back exit, that was perfect! Sothe and Nolan had caught up with them, Sothe grabbing Micaiah bridal-style. Micaiah let out a small squeak of surprise, and she could see Nolan asking if he could do the same with Laura. The priest smiled and nodded, and the two men (with their hands full) started to run even faster down the stairs, even coming within sight of Edward and Leonardo.

"We might have gained a few extra moments, but we have to move now! I didn't realize they were so close, or..." I wouldn't have let you stop to help Laura. The words went unsaid by Sothe, but they didn't need to be. Micaiah shook her head, silver hair flying everywhere.

"I know, but I would have stopped anyway. Now we have to go!" Micaiah protested, tugging on Sothe's scarf, who scowled but kicked the door open. Edward and Leonardo were first out, followed by Nolan (still holding a slightly flustered looking Laura). Sothe put down Micaiah and shoved her forward.

"S-Sothe! What are you doing? Sothe!" Micaiah resisted as Leonardo pulled her back, Edward helping. Nolan put Laura down and then caught the bag Sothe had been carrying, slinging it over his shoulder.

"Shhh... It'll be alright, Sothe knows what he's doing..." Leonardo said, trying to sound comforting. But he wasn't sure. What _was _the rouge trying to do?" Sothe looked back at his friends and gave them a small smile. Then he reached out and closed the door.

"SOTHE!" Micaiah screamed, pulling free of Leonardo and Edward's soft grips. She pounded at the door, and tried to open it, but it was locked. A thief can unlock and lock doors, Leonardo knew. The other Dawn Brigade members watched for several seconds as Micaiah pounded (quite pathetically at the end) on the door, tears running down her face.

"No! Sothe! S-Sothe..." Nolan hesitated before walking forward. Laura was trembling, her eyes glistening with tears. It was clear she felt responsible for the entire ordeal. Nolan softly pulled Micaiah away from the door, and onto her feet.

"We have to go Micaiah. Sothe's a good guy, he'll be fine. But he wouldn't want you to get captured just because you wanted to help him. You know that." Micaiah sniffed and brushed the tears away from her face, but the paths they ran still lingered, red on her pale face.

The silver-haired girl nodded, looking at her friends, a slight trembling running over her. Edward and Leonardo had been healed during the fight, and while they looked tired and weren't in perfect shape, they could run and fight. Laura was still trembling, but she looked alright. Nolan would have looked fine, except for a few blood streaks and dirt, but he kept glancing back at the door. It was silent, except for a bird cry. Out of nowhere, Yune (who, come to think of it, had disappeared during the fight) landed on Micaiah's shoulder.

"L-Let's go... W-We can't let Sothe's plan be in vain!" Micaiah refused to use the word 'sacrifice'. Sothe _would _be alive. He had to be alive! Micaiah's voice had an edge of confidence, and she started off into the road leading away from the town. Leonardo smiled and followed quickly. Edward cheered, a smile on his face, as he followed the blond. Nolan started off, but stopped as he saw Laura's face.

"Is something wrong?" The fighter asked. The priest hesitated, but shook her head. It was a lie, obviously. She glanced at the town, and then at the quickly disappearing Dawn Brigade members. Nolan easily guessed what she was thinking.

"Go heal your abbot, you shouldn't be fighting with us anyway. I know Micaiah wouldn't want to drag you into a fight like this, and it wouldn't be fair either. Go, hurry!" Nolan gave Laura a soft, playful shove towards the middle of the town. Laura glanced at Nolan and smiled.

"I know you don't want me to get hurt, but you're good people! I... I'll try to help you, somehow! I hope you stay safe... Nolan." Nolan smiled and nodded as she started to run away, Nolan quickly following the stopped group fifty yards away. The fighter resisted the urge to look back.

* * *

Where in the world could Sothe be hiding? Seriously, he was a rouge, Ike would give him that. And yes, he didn't have enough people to cover the entire armory. The fact that Sothe had nearly been caught by an observant Shinon, only to nearly knock out said sniper and escape, did nothing to help Ike's growing mood. Mia wasn't helping either.

"He's gotta be 'round here somewhere boss, we're closing in on him, I know it!" Mist and Shinon were resting by the main entrance, Shinon's cuts being healed by the cleric. Ike sighed and slammed his fist on a nearby wall, Ettard's point resting on the ground. He was physically tired from their mad dash to the town, and mentally tired from the sheer amount of crap he was dealing with. If he had everyone with him, he would have sent Oscar and Titania down different ways and sent people to ever exit to wait until Sothe finally showed.

Obviously he didn't have everyone with him, and if he _had _kept everyone together then they wouldn't have been able to run fast enough to catch up with the Dawn Brigade in the first place. Either way nothing would have gone well. At least they had a somewhat clear idea of which way their targets were going. Ike was sure Soren would have made a few million plans that would have gone insanely better then Ike's, but he didn't have his tactician with him. It was a defining moment for the saying 'you don't know what you have until you loose it' and Ike was learning it the hard way.

"... I know Mia. Go help Boyd out, but be careful. Sothe must have gotten better, to hit Shinon, even if it was by surprise. I want to make sure that rouge doesn't try to fight by Mist and Shinon." Mia nodded and ran off, leaving Ike by himself. What are you trying to do Sothe? You let us get a good look at you, before running off... Ike sighed and headed back towards the main entrance. One major headache at a time, he thought. The rest can wait in a goddess-dammit line.

"You'll be fully healed in a few minutes Shinon, but try not to irritate the cuts, they could break open again." Mist's voice could be annoying at times, but at least she wasn't pushing it and trying to get him to lie down or something. Rhys did, but that was Rhys for you. Over caring to the point of annoyance. A smirk danced over Shinon's lips before it disappeared, replaced by his usual scowl.

"What brings the Commander out of the search for a green-haired dastard?" Shinon asked, as Ike's signature blue hair helped outline the hero in the red and gold background. Begnion reinforcements had yet to arrive, to the sniper's surprise (did they care at all for the place?) and Ike's further annoyance. More people would be great to find Sothe. Ike's scowl deepened at Shinon's words.

"Watch your mouth around my sister Shinon. And Sothe has to be around somewhere, but I'm more curious about how's there's so many supplies in this one building. Its like the soldiers took everything from the citizens." Shinon shrugged as Mist went to put her heal staff away. They had dropped their packs right outside of the building (Shinon had yet to figure out just what was the purpose of the building, as it could have been a barracks or an armory or a storage area) before charging in, so they were covered in dust and other crap, to Shinon's annoyance.

"Who cares? We're getting paid by Begnion, aren't we?" Ike shook his head and Shinon raised an eyebrow at him, leaning back against a pillar. His bow lay over his knees, but clattered to one side as he raised a knee to rest his injured arm (which he had raised to protect himself, when the green-haired dastard had attacked).

"Not really... We're getting paid by someone called Numida, whose a senator _for _Begnion." Shinon just sighed and tapped his head against the cold pillar. Mist looked at her brother in confusion.

"What's the difference? Isn't he just paying us for our work instead of it having to be taken out of Begnion's treasury? And... Well, I can understand why they, as a nation, wouldn't want to be seen hiring mere mercenaries for a problem." Shinon snorted and drew both sibling's eyes onto him. He smirked and said,

"Yeah, we only helped defeat a crazy king three years ago. Seriously Mist, we're hardly mere mercenaries." And here I am thinking Ike's the only stupid one in his family, Shinon thought. Ike shrugged and rested his sword on his shoulders.

"Whatever their reasons, its still strange. Shinon's kind of right Mist, most people have heard of us. Or, well... Me..." Ike blushed slightly as he admitted his own fame. Shinon, for all his taunts, knew Ike wasn't vain and didn't brag often (or at all). Still, he saw a perfect chance for a wind-up, and would have taken it, but for a sudden appearance.

"Ike!" Boyd, panting heavily, shouted. Mia was nowhere to be seen, and though Boyd looked unhurt, Mist (who had sat down) jumped to her feet and grabbed her heal staff.

"W-What's wrong? Where's Mia?" Ike asked, spinning around. Mist ran past her brother with her staff already glowing, but Boyd swatted the staff away.

"She's going after Sothe- damn! He was hiding in some shadows, and I took a swing at him, y'see. But he jumped up and jumped past me! And Mia was behind me a couple feet, so she was able to slice at his arm. I think she got him, but he kept running. Mia went after him, she's fast but..." Ike shook his head and said,

"Don't worry about it, where are they off to?" Boyd was sparred answering (one way or the other, with Shinon thinking he wouldn't know at all and was stupid to run off to tell Ike instead of chasing Sothe) by a shout nearby.

"Yo! Boss, Boyd!" Mia was limping towards them, restraining a struggling Sothe. The rouge's daggers and knives were in Mia's belt, and he didn't seem to be struggling with his entire ability. His arms were twisted behind his head in a painful-looking manner, and he panted from a recent struggle. Shinon smirked as Boyd and Ike walked over.

"Sothe... So it really _is _you." Ike muttered, motioning for Mia to let him go. The swordmaster raised an eyebrow but shrugged and did so. Sothe rubbed his wrists tenderly and stood up, though he didn't look like he was going to run. Mia would be able to catch him before he turned around, and Boyd would (readily) full-body tackle him if he tried. Shinon knew he could pick up, knock, and fire his bow before Sothe was out of range. After all, the rouge wasn't the only person to improve after the war.

"... Commander." Sothe looked coldly at his former allies, but it wasn't a glare. Not a full one, at any rate. "Why are you chasing us? Have you seen what Begnion is doing? You should be helping us, at any rate!" Sothe's voice went from calm and collected, to angry and full of blame and spite, all within a few moments. Shinon looked at the exchange with only a hint of interest, Mist healing Mia with her staff while she could.

"You know I would help you, if you just asked. But wild questions? I haven't seen anything that could cause me to move against Begnion Sothe... And I have a job to do, and I'm pretty reliable. I have a reputation to uphold, after all." Ike looked back at Sothe easily, meeting his gaze with an equal force. Boyd crossed his arms and glared opening at the other green-head.

"Ha! Why are you running around Daein anyway? Why have you been fighting when we all want peace?" Boyd asked, tilting his head slightly. Sothe glared at the fighter, and opened his mouth to reply when he was cut off. No, not cut off. More like he started to form words when his face went pale white, he started to stutter, and three figures entered the room.

Mia's eyes widened as well, and Boyd and Ike turned around. Shinon turned his neck so he could see who was walking into the building now, and he narrowed his eyes in a mild disgust. A halberdier, and an armor sword, followed by several of your typical soldiers. Just like some high-and-mighty generals to wait and let their hired help get everything done before showing up.

"Are you Ike, the mercenary we hired?" The halberdier snapped, holding a steel greatlance with obvious comfort. While Shinon felt he could get a good shot or two from the close range, he knew the signs of weapon mastery, and this man had most of them. He also had something in his voice that commanded respect. Or, at the very least, polite conversation and an alright attitude. Ike didn't seem to like him very much, Sothe looked absolutely livid.

"Yes. Your men were all killed before we came, and the rest of the Dawn Brigade fled... This is one of their members." Ike reached behind him and pulled Sothe forward, the former struggling now. The halberdier smiled nastily, and a shiver fell down Shinon's spine. This man... Something was not right about him.

"Fine. We'll take him now." The hand with the greatlance reached forward and the weapon was pointed at Sothe. "You can continue after the rest of those thieves while we ensure this rouge stays under lock and key." Even knowing only a little about Sothe's skills, Shinon assumed he would easily pick and lock without a key. Ike hesitated, you could see a flash of uncertainty in his eyes. The other man sighed and shook his helmeted head.

"Listen, hand him over. Its not like you know the dastard." Sothe glanced at Ike as he struggled, but the hero sighed and let go of Sothe and pushed him softly forward. In an instant, the Begnion troops were all over him, tying his hands together tightly. Sothe held his head up high and didn't look at his former friends. Shinon could only guess how hard this was for Ike, whose loyalty to his friends (former or not) was famous. Whatever, its his choice. I just get paid, the sniper thought.

"Good. Alder! Send out men to fix this place up and take inventory. And arrange room and board for these men." The halberdier seemed to be ignoring Mia's outraged look. "And bury the dead."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Don't kill me! If you do, I won't be able to finish the story! Anyway, as a little early X-Mas gift, I'm not only updating this story (which I know is a little late for an update...) but putting up a oneshot featuring Ike, Soren, Ranulf, and Lethe! Its called a Midsummer Night's Chaos, so I'll let you have fun guessing the plot. It'll be up by the end of the day. Or Chirstmas. I think.

Hope you enjoy the story!

**youdon'tknow: **Yes, Ike is getting mad about the whole thing. Who wouldn't? Anyway, I have something planned for Leo and Shinon, but I'll leave that for later. And Mia's gonna have a field day when she meets Ed. The reason I'm changing so much is _because _the GM are in the story so soon. I pretty much have to. Anyway, I'm trying to have every character (playable) in RD appear in my story, so I'm going to have a lot of people running around before (the official) Part 1 is up. Crap.

* * *

"Ike... Shouldn't we be chasing after the Dawn Brigade?" Mist's words had been said by both Mia and Boyd, and Ike had thought of it himself. It was a valid question, of course. What exactly were they spending the rest of the day in a local inn for? The answer?

"The 'good' Jarod has invited us to dinner at this inn tonight. Being under his pay..." We pretty much have to do what he says. The words lingered in the air before being cut to pieces by Mist's (a little exaggerated) sigh.

"Alright, but at this rate Oscar and Titania will catch up with us. Though..." Mist's face blushed a slight shade of red. "I wouldn't mind being able to talk with them. Its so strange, not being together!" Ike nodded in agreement. They were all outside in a nearby clearing, practicing with their various weapons. Without anyone to spar with, as Shinon had gone on 'a walk' around town, and Mist wasn't much of a fighter, Boyd swung his ax around in the air. The warrior didn't even think about asking Ike, who could probably sweep the floor with him (though he would never admit it). Mia had seemingly disappeared when the three headed to the clearing.

"Yeah... I could use some good advice." Ike laid a hand on Mist's head, as his sister was sitting while he was standing. Mist scowled and looked up at him, though her gaze was soft. Ike moved his hand and they both started to watch Boyd, the man swinging his heavy steel ax as if it weighed nothing. He didn't seem to notice their eyes on him, or if he did he didn't react at all.

He's matured a lot since the last war, Ike thought. He remembered the brash young man he had been, who was now smarter (by some degree) and certainly stronger. Mist had changed as well, being much more mature in all fields. She could heal pretty much all wounds now, and Ike knew he was proud of his little sister. She was fairly good with a sword as well.

Ike blinked in surprise as he looked at said cleric. She had a slightly misty look in her eyes, and, was that a blush? And, was she really looking at Boyd or just spacing out? Ike coughed into his hand and noticed Mist, startled, practically jumping out of her seat.

"I'm going to head back, see if there are any more details I have to take care of. Stay with Boyd, and don't get lost! Both of yah, be back before the sun starts to set, we're having dinner tonight with somebody!" Ike said, glancing at Boyd. The warrior glanced at his boss and nodded, resting his ax on the ground.

"Alright Ike. Don't worry, I can keep Mist safe!" He was grinning and, though Ike's scowl stayed, a glimmer of amusement could be seen in his eyes. Mist stood as Ike put Ettard over his shoulder and hugged him, though her arms barely went around his middle.

"Don't worry, I trust Boyd brother! We'll be back before dinner!" Ike gave Mist a small smile as she let go, and turned around to walk away. He could hear Boyd start to swing his ax around, and heard Mist encouraging the green-haired warrior as he practiced. It was nice to know that, among everything that was going badly (Ike didn't even want to _start _to think about it all, beginning and ending with Sothe), some things were still the same.

Then Ike thought about what happened earlier, remembered the hurt look in his eyes. Sothe struggling to escape in the last few moments, how he had demanded to know what Ike was doing. Somehow, Ike knew he would never forget the painful look Sothe gave him.

Some things were the same, but some things weren't. Ike shook the thoughts from his head and continued his trek back to the town. The sooner this whole ordeal was over, the better.

* * *

"Stupid, damn, fucking, shitty, mercenaries!" Edward had been letting out a long line of swear words followed by 'mercenaries', 'Ike', 'Sothe', and 'Begnion', in various combinations. Nobody really had the heart to stop him. Micaiah had stopped crying awhile ago, Leonardo couldn't say for certain. Nolan was just his normal self, though he had either a frown or scowl on his face. Leonardo wasn't sure how he was feeling.

Sothe... Sothe was the best of all of them. The best fighter, the best leader (except, maybe, Micaiah), and always encouraged the others to do their best. And he had spoken so well of the Greil Mercenaries, Leonardo had started to wonder if they were being chased by _another _group of mercenaries that just said they were the Greil Mercenaries. The archer scowled as they continued to run on the road.

It was much easier then the forest had been, and was empty of anyone, Daein or Begnion. It felt strange, looking forward and only seeing Nolan and not Sothe. Though they had been running for at least two hours, the shock still stayed with them. Maybe that was the only reason they could still run. The loss of Sothe hadn't set in yet.

"Goddess send them all to hell! They don't deserve anything better! Stupid! Idiots! I hate them!" Leonardo closed his eyes for a brief second, resting a hand on Edward's shoulder for a second. The myrmidon glanced over and saw the slight shaking of his head, and closed his mouth and stopped his talking. He had a glistening of tears in his eyes, though Leonardo knew he would deny it if he bothered to ask.

"It... Its just not fair!" Edward said, trembling a little as they ran. Nolan stopped as those words reached his ears, the Edward and Leonardo sliding to a halt behind him. Micaiah had fallen slightly behind, but stopped once she got close to the others. She hid it well, but she was trembling and her eyes had a pinkish tint to them. Nolan crossed his arms and looked at Edward.

"Its not fair that the Greil Mercenaries are chasing us, or Begnion is being so cruel and evil to us, or that Sothe is captured. Its not fair that we're just trying to save our country, but we still have people after us. Its not fair that we're outclassed in pretty much every way. Its not fair that Daein is being destroyed. Edward..." Nolan sighed and his scowl deepened as he looked away, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Ed, its not fair that a lot of things are happening. All we can do is run around Daein and hope something good happens." Leonardo had been looking at Nolan, but now he switched his gaze to Edward. The myrmidon sighed and closed his eyes, tilting his head downwards. An uneasy silence wove its way around the four (four of them, only four of them left...) and no one broke it for awhile, letting their thoughts run wild.

Micaiah thought about Sothe, who had promised her everything and more. Who _was _everything and more to her. She thought about how he was gone, and how her heart ached like she had lost a limb. Sothe really was part of her, and now he was gone.

Nolan thought about Laura, the young priest who had helped them even though she might be punished for it. He fingered one of his old wounds, healed by Laura's staff even though it was really a waste to heal a small cut. The fighter wondered if she would be alright.

Edward thought about everything, how everything was against him and his friends. He wished he could be stronger, if only to protect Leonardo, Micaiah, Nolan, and Sothe. He wished he had been strong enough to be more of a help, but instead all he felt he could do was complain and get stronger. He thought about his weakness, and thought about how to fix them.

Leonardo thought about being able to make something of himself, being able to become stronger and real name in Daein. It seemed that was always on his mind, he realized. He tried to join the last war, just to get more attention. And now, now with Begnion taking everything and anything from his country, he was trying to get attention again.

Then, quite suddenly and without any real warning, they heard the jingling of armor and the sounds of someone coming towards them. Like a well-oiled machine (or just being used to running around) they pulled out their weapons and formed a small half-circle. Nolan and Edward in the front (the later spinning his sword to warm up, the fighter holding his ax confidently) and Micaiah and Leonardo behind them. Micaiah picked her new thani tome, although Edward stuck with his iron sword. Leonardo noticed that Nolan was holding a throwing ax, and couldn't help but wonder where he got it. He didn't have one last time, did he?

"Whoa! Don't hurt me!" A voice cried out, high enough to be a young boy or a girl's. A figure in bright red armor appeared, brown hair up in two little buns on her head. Leonardo lowered his bow when Micaiah lowered her tome, and Edward lowered his sword, though he did not put it away. Nolan put his throwing ax on his shoulder, looking at the new figure critically.

"Who are you? You've been following us, haven't you?" Micaiah asked. While her voice was stern it was not completely unkind, like a mother when her son has been eating cookies without permission. The girl (a young woman, looking too young to be traveling alone) replied,

"Well... I have... But only because I've heard about you! You're the Dawn Brigade, right? You're the kind of people my father would support, if he knew what Begnion was doing!" The girl said fiercely, waving a sword around. She wore enough armor so Leonardo could tell she was an armored sword, with a steel sword on her belt.

"Sh! We're on the run from Begnion troops right now, so we can't stay... And I don't want to drag you into our fight." Micaiah said, glancing around. It was still empty, the street, and all four of the Dawn Brigade members were feeling twitchy. Something was going on.

"What? I'll go with you, you look like you could use some help. Plus, I'm looking for my future husband, who's somewhere in Daein! My name's Meg!" Micaiah glanced at the others who shrugged. They then went around and introduced themselves.

"Micaiah, we should get going." Nolan said. Micaiah nodded.

"Alright, Meg, welcome to our group!" Meg positively beamed at the sentence, and Nolan raised an eyebrow at Leonardo, who shrugged. She seemed nice enough, and she obviously wasn't a Begnion soldier. He knew Sothe would have pitched a little fit if he knew, but he didn't and his judgment had gotten him captured, so could if have been all that good? Of course he had gotten them through so much, it was natural to listen to him. Leonardo sighed and looked at Micaiah, who was talking with Meg as they started to walk.

"Hey Leo, are you going to stand there all day? We have to get going!" Edward called back, having already moved forward. Leonardo nodded and ran forward to catch up with Edward, who was right behind Nolan, who glanced back to check that everyone was behind him.

"Sorry, caught up in my thoughts." Edward laughed and gave Leo a soft slug in the arm. Leonardo glared at him and rubbed his arm. "What?" He asked. Edward laughed again and replied,

"You're too serious all the time! You need to relax sometimes!" Leonardo raised an eyebrow at him. He could just picture Nolan smirking, even thought he didn't turn around.

"Relax? We're getting chased by Begnion _and _the Greil Mercenaries! Sothe is captured! You want me to 'relax'?" Leonardo said, knowing his voice was rising in both tone, octave, and volume. Micaiah glanced back at him while Meg prattled one about her family. Nolan raised an eyebrow at Edward, who shrugged halfway and said to Leonardo,

"Geez Leo! I was only saying that you're going to die from stress... I know you're really worried about me and the others, but we can handle ourselves y'know." Leonardo sighed and slumped his shoulders. Was it just him, or did everyone always call him stressed out?

* * *

Shinon wasn't one hundred percent sure what he was doing, walking around aimlessly and not stopping anywhere, even passing three bars nearly empty except for a group of local drunks. He didn't need Ike to be giving him a lecture on staying sober, or any crap from any of the others.

He wasn't rolling in gold either, down to barely enough to buy a new bow, or the materials it took to make one (a good string he couldn't make very well, and arrowheads could get expensive). It wasn't that that stopped him from drinking though, as he often spent money that really wasn't his (Gatrie was a good friend, but _goddess _was he easy to scam) or money he really didn't have.

No, it was a strange sort of feeling that made him dread the idea of a hangover, avoid an angry lecture at all costs, and think of doing just about anything but get drunk. He didn't like getting drunk alone, fighting drunk without any backup could get painful. Sure, if he was drunk then Gatrie was close to passed out, but at least he knew there would be someone there to back him up. Or bring his beaten up body back to the fort.

"Bread! Fresh bread!" A vender called out. Shinon blinked and realized that, without knowing it, he had walked into the merchant part of the town. Venders called out and enthused about their wares, swearing their prices were the best. Store fronts were full of chattering people, and the sound of trickling water and splashes could be heard farther off. Shinon narrowed his eyes as he looked around. Daein wasn't his favorite country, by any means. At least it isn't full of filthy sub-humans, the marksman told himself.

"The best cut of meat anywhere! Buy it here only!" The only thing that seemed strange was the sound of Begnion accents, with very little Daein sounds added. Shinon wouldn't call himself an expert about how people spoke, but he had spent so much time in Daein three years ago, and around Begnion troops, he could tell a difference. He swore as someone pushed past him, a young Daein boy with a frightened look on his face as he gripped a small piece of bread.

"Come back here you rascal! I'll get you for stealing my bread!" The crowd (and by going with it, Shinon) moved out of the man's way for the most part. Two other Daein citizens glanced at each other before blocking his way, muttering a 'sorry' under their breaths. Shinon's already narrow eyes narrowed to slits, and it wasn't the noon sun that caused it. Was Daein always like this? Certainly he didn't know much about Daein's history or culture, but something seemed different. A sort of tone in the people's voices, the terse (instead of friendly) bartering between shop owner and buyer. Shinon sighed and shook his head. He was thinking too hard about simple things. None of it mattered to him, why should he care?

"Clothes! Clothing with all the latest styles!" Shinon adopted a careless, get out of my way or be shot, way of walking. He was cocky, confident, and had a bow to back it all up. He let his eyes become a little less narrow, if only to make it easier to see where he was going. The sound of water was getting louder, maybe he should follow it. Shrugging to himself (after all they were stuck in the town the rest of the day) Shinon fingered the strings of his money bag as his eyes scanned the shops. Nothing caught his eyes; he wasn't hungry and didn't need new clothes. He didn't feel like looking for a local blacksmith, as it was unlikely to carry anything above bronze (or if he was lucky, iron) quality. So he just continued on, not sure what to do.

"Apples! Pears! Oranges! All the fruit and vegetables you need! We carry herbs, vulneraries, and everything for your healing and basic needs! All at the best prices! Shop here only! You won't be disappointed!" A vender's message caught Shinon's ears as he glanced over at it. The merchant held up a vulnerary and Shinon found himself walking towards him and his medium sized stall. Shinon didn't have one with them, and while he knew Mist was a good cleric and all, she wasn't going to always be there. Best to be prepared, he thought to himself.

"Hello good sir, how may I help you?" The man was fat (or round or chubby as a kinder person would say, but Shinon was always curt and to the point) and had a mustache of almost ridiculous proportions. He wore simple brown robes of course, like Shinon would have expected from a merchant. He was still holding a vulnerary, and Shinon glanced at it. Yep, it was a real vulnerary, not a copy that Gatrie had bought and tried to use, only to find they were made from a green paste of some kind mixed with water (and had left him bed-ridden for several weeks).

"How much for a vulnerary?" Shinon asked. The man paused, as if in thought, before replying.

"For you good sir? Only 800 gold!" Which was, while the current asking price, still far more then Shinon. 800 gold could buy an iron bow (nearly two), though a steel bow was still more gold. Shinon gave a slight evil eye to the man.

"800? Let's be honest here. What's your name?" The man seemed to just notice the bow on Shinon's back and the obvious ease he had with it. He might have quivered as he spoke.

"M-Merlinus, g-good sir." Shinon gave him a crooked smile.

"Merlinus. Alright. You probably bought that thing cheap, let's say 500 gold. So I'll buy it for 600, which still gives you a nice 100 gold profit. Alright?" Shinon knew Rhys could make vulneraries, and the priest said it really wasn't that hard. Most people just didn't know that. And Merlinus was more likely to have bought the thing for less then 500 gold, so Shinon didn't feel bad about lowering the price for himself. Anyway, it was somewhat fun to see him nod shakily in agreement.

"O-Of course!" He stammered, watching carefully as Shinon counted out his gold. He had a thousand with him, which had been five hundred until he got a five hundred gold payment in anticipation for a long job ahead. No problem for him, and his weapons _were_ usually bought by Soren anyway. It was insane how much you could get paid doing another person's dirty work.

"G-Great doing business with you sir!" Now that Shinon was turning away to leave, the merchant seemed to loose his stutter. Shinon didn't even glance behind him, stuffing the vulnerary into his pouch and found himself being pushed into the crowd. He forced himself to a stop and glanced around. He was taller then most people his age, so he was able to see over everyone's heads. They were all heading away from the market areas of the town, and back from where Shinon had come from. The sniper glanced at the sun and realized it was nearly noon.

Have I really been here so long? He thought. It was getting a little hotter, sure, but besides that Shinon hadn't noticed anything really change. Wondering if it would really be worth going all the way back to the inn to get something to eat, and deciding it wasn't, Shinon fought his way against the townspeople towards the sound of water he had heard earlier. A fountain, he assumed. Maybe there would be a small pastry shop or something similar to grab something small to eat.

"Shinon! Whatcha doing here?" A loud, cheerful voice penetrated Shinon's thoughts like a hot knife through butter. Mia? Didn't she disappear into the forest or something? Though, after they had dropped their things off in their various rooms in the inn, Shinon couldn't remember seeing Mia. Still, why was she going up to him now of all times, when he wanted some peace and quiet.

"Mia? I could ask the same thing." The blue-haired swordmaster grinned somewhat lopsidedly, and laughed before she replied,

"I went on a walk in the forest, then I headed into the town to find something to eat." She held out a half eaten sandwich and caused her grin to lessen a bit.

"I can buy yah something if you want." She offered. Shinon raised an eyebrow at her and Mia tapped her hip and Shinon noticed a larger bag then Shinon knew she had.

"W-Where'd you get that much money?" Shinon asked, running a hand through his hair as his eyes widened a little. Mia smiled sheepishly and rubbed her head softly, answering,

"I don't spend as much as you... And I bet Gatrie a few coins over a horse race a few days before we left Crimea." Shinon mentally groaned. So that was why Gatrie had been so sober recently.

"Huh. Serves Gatrie right to figure out betting isn't going to win him any money. Wait- I do not spend that much money!" Shinon said, shouting the last sentence. Mia blushed and Shinon scowled, looking away from the woman. He started walking away and found his arm being grabbed by said swordmaster.

"Wait! Where are you going? I'm sorry!" Shinon pulled his arm away from Mia's grip, but he stopped walking. She was frowning and put her hands on her hips, as if pouting. "Don't go away! I'm bored... Besides, Ike might be looking for us! Let's head back to the inn." Shinon's scowl grew and he looked away again. Why in the world would Ike want to see him? Still, it wasn't like he had anything better to do... _But _it was Ike.

"Why? Its only midday." Shinon said, sounding bored he hoped. Mia slumped her shoulders and then tilted her head in thought. Shinon moved and crossed his arms so that he could scowl easily at the swordmaster, whose eyes suddenly lit up as she said,

"I know! Let's head over here! I know you'll like this!" Mia grabbed Shinon's hand and the sniper found himself being dragged and pulled towards the sound of falling water onto stone. They turned a final corner and Shinon saw he was right, it was a simple stone fountain spraying water over an empty town square. Mia let go of Shinon's hand and ran up to the fountain, laughing and spinning around as stray water droplets fell onto her face.

"Come on Shinon! Let's sit down and talk if you're going to be all sour and grumpy!" Shinon sighed as the woman laughed again and sat down somewhere the stream of constant water wouldn't hit them- or her at least. Shinon rolled his eyes but walked over and sat down, his long hair trailing into the fountain before he pulled it aside, resting the tip on the stone surrounding the water.

"I am not being sour or grumpy." Shinon muttered to himself. Unfortunately, Mia heard him. The bluenette grinned at him and said,

"Sure thing Shiny! I'll take your word for it!" Shinon felt like his eyebrows were twitching, and he had half a mind to pull out an arrow but he didn't. Maybe because explaining the swordmaster's death would have been problematic, maybe because she had probably heard his newest nickname from Rolf, or maybe because burying a body in the middle of a town would have been hard. Either way, Mia remained alive; for the time being.

"Do _not _call me that, or I swear to the goddess I will-" Shinon was stopped by a casual wave of Mia's hand as she remarked,

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. _Shiny_." The joking gleam in her eyes helped calm down Shinon. Slightly. Ok, by a miniscule amount. Knowing that it would be pointless to argue with Mia stopped Shinon from replying, though he had to bite down on his tongue and think about shooting bandits or animals for Oscar to cook to distract himself.

"Hey... Don't tell me you're going into your little Shinon mood swing things right now!" Mia exclaimed, shaking the sniper out of his thoughts. He raised an eyebrow at her and Mia blushed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, whenever you stop talking after getting mad you have an expression that you're pouting or something." Shinon's eyebrow raised just a little, but Mia saw it anyway and added,

"Alright. You also get an out of focus look in your eyes, like you're day-dreaming or something." Mia shrugged and they both fell silent for a moment, then Mia's eyes grew larger and she asked,

"What do you think about when you day-dream?" Shinon shrugged absentmindedly and focused his vision on her. What was up with Mia today? Was she always this hyper and energetic, or was Shinon just less up to her antics right then?

"Nothing special..." Shinon looked skeptically at Mia, who raised an eyebrow at him now. "Why? What makes you ask?" The sword-wielder took a few seconds to think about the question. Shinon took the brief moment of peace and quiet (hard to get when he was constantly listening to Rolf, though that was sometimes a welcomed noise) and thought about what Gatrie was doing right then. Maybe they'll catch up to us, Shinon thought hopefully to himself. Doubtful, but possible with the amount of time they were going to end up spending in the town. They would probably leave tomorrow morning, Shinon knew, but he couldn't help but want to see Gatrie and Rolf again.

"I dream about the times when we weren't fighting. Y'know, before now but after the whole reconstruction thing... Who knew Ike would give up lordship? Sure it didn't totally fit him, but I would've thought he'd stick with it to help Elincia. He's really loyal to us all, you know that Shinon." She gave said sniper a meaningful look. "As much as you try to hate him, you must know he's a good guy. Right?" She asked him. Shinon scowled at Mia.

"I don't have to think he's a good guy, or even like him, to work as a Greil Mercenary. Greil was a good guy. I liked Greil. I don't think Ike's ever gonna replace him." With that, Shinon stood up and readjusted his bow on his shoulder. When Mia started to stand as well, Shinon shook his head. "You stay here or go back to the inn or whatever. I want to be alone." Ignoring the flash of hurt in Mia's eyes, Shinon walked away and hoped he looked like a cocky dastard who didn't give a crap about anything. That wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

Sothe hadn't known what to expect when Ike had coldly handed him over to Jarod. Certainly a little torture wouldn't be out of character, so he had spent the cold night in a small shed (apparently jail cells were hard to come by in Daein towns, and apparently that was a surprise to the general) trying to sleep and preparing for pretty much anything. He would not give up on Micaiah, his friends and her friends. He refused to do something like that.

So, after spending a whole night preparing for the worst, he was slightly surprised when he was shoved into a carriage (the rouge couldn't help but wonder what lord or lady Jarod had taken it from) and stuffed beside two soldiers, with three other soldiers on the opposite seat. They must have driven for at least three hours, though Sothe couldn't have told anyone where they had gone, since they blindfolded him (as well as bound his hands with ropes and frisked him to the point of 'what the hell are you looking for') as soon as he was let out of the shed.

So, when they opened the door and let the light pour in (it was midday, and they had left in the morning, so more time had passed then Sothe thought) the rouge was forced to close his eyes as he was dragged out and shoved to his knees on the ground. He squinted enough to make out several large buildings and he could hear the sounds of armor moving and- was that a horse?

"This is the prisoner?" A deep man's voice asked. One of Sothe's guards replied with a curt 'yes' and Sothe was able to make out someone dismounting and eying him like you would a piece of rotting meat in your cupboard. "I thought you told me he was dangerous! A mouse could fight him!" Sothe knew he looked bad, but a mouse? What was up with Begnion and their soldiers?

"Take him to the cells! The ones with the other prisoners!" This caught Sothe's attention. Other prisoners? Who else could they have? Sothe hoped they could help him escape, or at least tell him something about the prison. Any help would be great for the rouge.

But now would not be time for running away or making bold plans, because he was being dragged in the dirt and muck towards the buildings, and the looming figures soon filled his blurry vision. The men who were dragging him were as rough as they possibly could be, and Sothe wondered if it was orders or is they generally did not like him.

Well, its their own actions that have hurt Daein so much! They're the reason I've been fighting! What are they angry about? Sothe thought. Some part of his delirious mind heard orders to open a gate, heard it creak both open and, once they were through, closed. He forced his tired head to look around and forced his pained and sleepless mind to try to make sense of what he was seeing. Nothing too surprising, he was in your run-of-the-mill Daein prison, taken over by the Begnion thieves early on in the occupancy. The men were relaxed, chatting and some were training. Nothing special, which was good for the captured rouge.

"A new prisoner, eh? Well, we've certainly the room for another one of 'em Daein rats." Sothe would have spat out a remark, had he not been dragged three hundred yards over rough and rocky ground. He knew his legs would be shot for a while, if he was lucky and could get something to help him heal. The men who had escorted Sothe muttered a reply as they entered the building itself, and found a jail cell a few cells away from the door.

Throwing him inside, they locked it with a key and one of them stuffed it into his pocket. Damn, I wasn't able to steal one from him! Sothe thought furiously. He pulled himself into a sitting position against the wall and, now that he wasn't moving and having himself shaken constantly, he could make out his cut up and bloody knees and the lower part of his legs. Crap, he thought to himself. It looked bad, though he didn't see any white (thank the goddess) which would mean he had been cut to the bone. He forced his feet closer to him so he could examine the place with the worst damage, his knees. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he moved into a slightly comfortable position.

There didn't seem to be any large rock fragments, though the smaller flecks were to be expected. Hopefully he'd be able to find something like tweezers to pull them out before the gashes started to heal up. Though, he had seen worse during the last war.

Of course, you were on Commander Ike's side that time, Sothe reminded himself bitterly. He could only hope Micaiah and the others were able to stay out of his hands, and by extension, Begnion's. He glanced around suddenly, thinking he had heard something.

"Uh, hello there? I heard the soldiers bring someone new in, can you hear me?" For some reason, the voice seemed similar, even if it didn't ring any bells. Sothe found his voice and replied, hoarsely,

"Y-Yeah... Where are you? I-I can't see you anywhere." Sothe found his hands tightened as his voice trembled. It made him sound young, dang it. The sound of someone snapping their fingers was followed by,

"Ah-ha! I thought I saw you before, Sothe! My, my, even in your condition you're quite a sight for my eyes. I'm across and two cells to the right from you. Its hard to see at first, but your eyes will adjust soon. Hm, are you hurt? I can't imagine you not putting up a fight." That voice... Ugh, the owner's name was on the tip of his tongue, he nearly had it...

"Aimee? I-Is that you?" The merchant that follow the army and Ike around from the last war? What was she doing here, in a Daein prison? Said merchant let out a small clap and continued to speak, as she did not realize it was hurting Sothe's head.

"Do you remember Ilyana? She's here too, but she's asleep. There's another, but he hasn't spoken the entire time I've been here... I suppose now is not the time. I saw they dragged you in, do you need anything? We don't have medicine, but..." Aimee trailed too and Sothe could just make out the sound of cloth on stone, and saw something being thrown at his cell. It clattered on the ground and Sothe saw it was a piece of cloth wrapped around a stone. He reached for it and put it around his right knee, which was the one hurting the most.

"T-Thanks... Ilyana? She... She's a mage right?" Sothe couldn't say he knew all the people from his time in the army, though thoughts of a certain fire mage drifted into his head. How was Tormod? Sothe wondered if he would be able to find him and complete his mission, or if he was even alright.

"Yes, she is. I'm afraid there really isn't anything more I can give you, they don't feed us anytime unless its midday. I'll be quite then, and you can get some rest... Sothe?" He lifted his head and mumbled, half incoherent,

"What?" He was nearly asleep by the time Aimee replied.

"I know you've gotten better since three years ago, but you can't break us out, there's too many of them." Sothe was too tired to reply that, he knew that, but he would still have to try anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I'm (still) alive! XD Just glad none of you decided to help me kick the bucket a little early (sarcasm)... Anyway, I'm so happy about the amount of replies for the last chapter. Glad you like it so much! So I was going through the list of characters in RD, and its a LONG list... Guess you guys get a long story then... Also, if you didn't know Merlinus from the last chapter also appeared in Blazing Sword/Rekka no Ken/Fire Emblem. Little fast fact for you. Anyways, wouldn't have time to update this on New Year's or anything, so I did it today. Tonight. Whatever.

**youdon'tknow: **Thanks for thinking I'm pulling off the DB well, considering that was one of my worries at first. Always good to know that I'm living up to expectations. Shinon noticing that things are wrong is just the tip of the iceberg. Him being the least caring is really his personality, but he seemed to be the one to notice more things then the others. Also, I love writing Shinon. Gotta love his crazy personality. And you were right; Merlinus is from Blazing Sword (Rekka no Ken) which I'm currently playing XD I have a little idea for the whole Sothe in prison thing, but I won't tell you yet. It was planned to happen this chapter, but I'm afraid it got pushed back... Sorry? XD I have something planned for Leo and Shiny (Shinon) but I won't tell you. I don't think anyone's guessed (at least, not that I know of) and I hope its surprising when it shows up.

Also, 'marry Chirstmas'? XD Late **Merry **Chirstmas to you too XD

* * *

They were finally setting off, and while it was just after dawn, Ike was itching to get moving. Not so much to continue the job (after all, so far it had just been one bad thing after another) but more to get away from Jarod. Who had 'treated' them to his company last night, and made Ike fairly certain it was the last time he worked under nobles. Or at least Begnion nobles.

Shinon had reappeared sometime around dinner, though, from the glares he had been giving Jarod and Ike (mostly Ike), he looked like he wished he hadn't. Mia had come back right as they finished lunch, and she had sparred with Ike for the rest of the day. In memory Ike rotated his right hand's wrist, which had hurt since it had been badly cut by Mia's sword. Luckily Mist had been able to heal it.

"Everything's set Ike!" Mia reported to him cheerfully. Despite the early start she seemed to be fine. Ike felt fine too, but Boyd was yawning every few seconds and Mist leaned against Ike in a vain attempt to learn how to sleep standing. Shinon was up as well, to Ike's surprise, but only barely. He wasn't yawning as much as Boyd, but Ike could make out rings around his eyes, even from ten yards away. Ike nodded at Mia.

"Alright. Mercenaries? Out!" He shouted, trying to get them to wake up a little more. If the Dawn Brigade decided to go suicidal, they could probably injure them before they even opened their eyes enough to notice they were being attacked.

It was moments like these, with Boyd moving slower then a snail and Mist looking like she'd go faster being carried, that Ike wished he had Soren with him. Shinon tried to keep up the whole 'I'm a bad boy and you better not mess with me' attitude but it was ruined every time he was forced to stop glaring around and yawn.

At least they didn't have too much to carry, Ike thought somewhat glumly. Jarod had assured them (though Ike wasn't sure he could trust the man) that the towns would be able to supply them with whatever they needed. And since it seemed like they wouldn't be needing weapons anytime soon, Ike had hesitantly agreed. After all, there was only so much food one could carry before some of it grew rotten.

"Do we know where they've gone?" Mia asked Ike, keeping up with his bigger strides by moving faster. Ike shrugged, not needing to ask who 'they' were.

"Not one hundred percent sure. I'm sure they'll be heading out of Daein, since the Begnion soldiers will be after them too... But I doubt they'll head into Begnion. Maybe Crimea." Ike said. He had the feeling that Soren would know and have plenty of ideas on how to catch them. He missed his little tactician. Mia frowned as they walked on, in front of the others. They were still in the town, but everyone was asleep and no one was there to see them.

"Hey, that wouldn't be so bad! We'll know where to go and everything then!" Mia said cheerfully. They were entering the market area of the town, and it seemed strange that it was so silent after the previous day. Ike sighed.

"Yeah, good point... So maybe the Dawn Brigade won't go to Crimea..." Ike frowned, trying to think of another place the Dawn Brigade could run. Surely they wouldn't lead them all over Daein? There was a practical manhunt for them in the country. Still, he was unable to think of anything else the Dawn Brigade could do and sighed. "We'll find out sooner or later." He said, more thinking aloud then really talking. Mia nodded in agreement.

"Yeah... Don't worry boss, I'm sure we'll come out on top!" Ike did do, it was just the amount of time that might take that worried him.

Titania glanced at Rhys as the priest struggled up the hill. He hadn't fallen to his sickness (again) yet, but she wanted to ensure he wouldn't. They had left after noon when Ike and his group left, and they all knew they probably wouldn't see each other for a very long time. Still, Ike had promised they would leave messages at the towns they went through about their progress and anything else really. Titania wished they hadn't needed to split up in the first place.

"I'm fine! You should help Soren, it looks like he's falling behind!" Rolf's words were meant kindly, but if you looked at Soren's glare then you would be convinced they were poison. Oscar sighed and looked back at the sage. Rolf's arm made it hard for him to climb, but not impossible. Soren had rejected the stretcher (which they kept anyway, figuring either he or Rhys would use it eventually) and chose to walk by himself. The act of pride was one no one felt like denying (rather, no one felt like being on the receiving end of elwind) but it was slowing them down. A lot.

Gatrie looked up at Oscar and shrugged. If Soren didn't want their help, the armored knight didn't feel like helping him. Oscar sighed and looked at Soren, who was half-way up the hill. While said hill was not exceptionally steep or rocky, an injury to his middle would make it hard for him to walk on even ground, let alone climb anything. Seeing that Rolf could handle himself, despite the lack of use of one arm, Oscar made his way down the hill to where Soren was. Gatrie was waiting on the bottom for everyone to get up safely, Titania and Oscar deciding the man's bulk and sheer strength would make up for his lack of speed. Also, he would be plenty slow climbing up with his armor on.

"I don't need your help," Soren pretty much snarled at Oscar as the paladin grew close. The sage was sweating heavily, and he was trying to hide his lack of breath. Oscar shook his head.

"Ike wouldn't want you pushing yourself too hard. You're hurt, let me help." While Soren may have grew less cold over the last war, he certainly wasn't going to accept help from anyone not named Ike. The sage shook his head and forced himself up another few feet. Up on the top of the ridge, Titania was looking through her pack for rope. Rhys was only able to watch and clutch his heal staff, hoping he wouldn't have to use it.

"I-I can do this myself... Y-You should aid Rolf. H-He _is _your little brother." Oscar motioned for Gatrie to start climbing, and the blond nodded and started hoisting himself up the rocks and dirt. Then Oscar quickly climbed the five feet Soren had gained and said,

"Rolf's fine. His arm is weak and he can't use it but you got shot with an arrow two days ago. Ike would be mad if he knew you were pushing yourself so hard." The thing was, Soren knew he was right. Still, the idea of accepting another person's help was a hard pill for the Branded to swallow. Especially since that person wasn't Ike.

"You can assist me, but I insist I climb mainly by myself." Oscar smiled as he climbed ahead of Soren and reached down a hand to pull him up. Soren hesitantly took it, knowing he would be stupid to slow the group down because of some pride.

"Thanks Soren. Don't worry, you'll heal up soon enough with Rhys healing you." Soren sighed and looked down at Gatrie, who was already fifteen feet up. He shook his head and continued to climb. Goddess-dang archer with his stupid bow.

* * *

One day of just sitting and Sothe was feeling better. Which was good, of course. But one day of just sitting (and talking to Aimee and eventually Ilyana about any information they might have) was starting to get to Sothe. Add onto the fact he hadn't had water or food that day was driving Sothe up the proverbial wall. His injured knees hadn't come close to fully healing, and his head was starting to spin from lack of nutrients.

"Are you sure there isn't a crack with water dripping down in your cell? There's one in ours and its driving me crazy." Aimee was trying to be helpful, but in truth Sothe just wanted her to shut up. He felt bad for Commander Ike, who had dealt with her for an entire war.

"Yes Aimee, I'm quite sure... Now please, I'm trying to rest." Sothe lied, if just to get some peace and relative quiet. Because the dripping water was driving him crazy too, and it was for two reasons; first he hadn't been able to sleep well because the noise echoed. Second, he was thirsty and tired and hungry _and _cold, and the temptation of something just out of reach was going to cause him to start hitting his head against the wall at this rate.

"I'm sorry they didn't give you food Sothe... Oooh, the idea of not eating for so long is hurting me..." Ilyana's soft voice drifted down the prison hall. Sothe sighed and hit his head softly against the cold wall. At least he wasn't sick; yet.

Having broken camp a few minutes ago, Edward wasn't complaining nearly as much as he had before. Maybe loosing Sothe had shut him up, or maybe he was just getting used to it. Still, since Meg had joined, he was still sharing a tent with Leonardo and Nolan. He would have been fine sharing with Leonardo, but Nolan was a big guy and (though he denied it) he snored pretty loudly.

"Am I the only one surprised that they didn't catch us yesterday?" Instead, the myrmidon had taken to talking. And talking loudly and obnoxiously. Leonardo nearly missed his mutterings and complaints; at least he wasn't supposed to reply. Micaiah sighed and glanced at Nolan. Your turn to respond, her look seemed to say.

"It is strange that none of their riders were with them. If they're going on a chase, why not bring the fastest people? And I'm starting to wonder if something held them back. Maybe one of Leo's arrows hit them." Nolan said calmly. For some reason, Leonardo really doubted that. Any shots he had taken at the armory were quick and haphazard at best. One of them hitting was a far-fetched idea.

"That would be great! If he hit that one mage guy from before, and Sothe his the female rider, then they're down at least two people! How many of them are there?" Still, Edward's reply was just as loud and cheerful as before. Micaiah chose to answer this one, giving the others a break. Meg was listening intently, not saying anything.

"The people who were chasing us weren't all of them. Sothe said ten, but they didn't have two healers, only one. And the sage was gone, as were the riders. That means that they split into groups of five." Seeing Leonardo's expression of 'who was the fifth person' Micaiah shrugged.

"Sothe didn't tell me about all of them. We were both too tired last night..." The light mage sighed and looked at the forest they were passing through. "And now I guess we'll just have to hope that he isn't too dangerous." Meg had told them about a rumor she heard in the town she was staying, that hope for Daein lived in the desert. That was where they were headed now, and Leonardo was skeptic of any luck there. Who lived in the desert? No one, that was who.

"Still, we're not out numbered anymore! We just need to train a lot and then we'll be able to fight them back and get Sothe again!" Nolan glanced at Leonardo who shrugged. Who knew what went through Edward's head? Even Leonardo could only guess. Even Micaiah, who was pretty much the most positive person Leonardo knew, looked skeptical.

"Ed... We're just going to save Daein and get these mercenaries on our side. We don't have to kick their butts or anything." Leonardo said tentatively. Edward looked to his friend who was walking next to him. He shrugged absentmindedly, like he didn't care.

"Whatever. Did you see their swordmaster? How cool would it be if I was that strong! Then none of you would have to worry! And the sniper! Leo, do you think you'll be that good some day?" Edward asked, eyes shining. Leonardo gave him a smile and nodded.

"Yep. I bet we'll all be super strong one day." Edward laughed and slugged Leonardo softly on the arm. Leonardo pretended to be injured and poked Edward in the shoulder, who laughed.

"Villain!" He said jokingly. He slapped Leonardo's hand away and dodged out of the way of Leo's other hand. Of course, he wasn't expecting Nolan to come up behind him and start tickling him. Falling into heaps of laughter and falling to the ground, Nolan stopped as Leonardo nudged Edward with his boot.

"Are you alive?" Leonardo asked jokingly. Micaiah was smiling and Nolan was too (though he looked at lot more serious). Edward's eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open. Leonardo kneeled down close to Edward and was promptly tackled by the brunette and fell to the ground as Edward sat on him.

"Yep! I'm fine! How 'bout you?" Edward looked down at his close friend and Leonardo sighed, hitting his head against the ground once. He didn't try to get up, instead he looked at the giggling Micaiah and smirking Nolan.

"Any help here?" He asked, only to get Micaiah kneeling down close to him. She seemed to be in deep thought, and Leonardo was hopeful. Then, she shook her head.

"Nah, I think you'll be fine." She winked to him and Leonardo sighed and slumped his shoulders. What a good friend can do to yah... He thought.

Still, Leonardo wasn't up to begging Edward to get up off him so he jerked one of his arms free (them having been pinned to his sides) and started to poke Ed in the ribs, which Leonardo knew annoyed him to no end. Edward glared at him and shifted position so his ribs were in relative safety, but Leonardo took the chance and sat up, shoving Edward off him roughly.

"H-Hey!" Edward complained, rubbing his head where he hit the ground. Leonardo raised an eyebrow at him as he stood and brushed off the dirt that had gotten on his clothes and in his hair.

"Do you need some help?" The archer asked the myrmidon, who scowled. Leonardo laughed and reached down a hand for him to grab. Edward took it and Leonardo hoisted him up, but then Edward smirked and seemed to fall over, landing on Leonardo's shoulder. Leo felt his face flush up bright red as Micaiah and Nolan broke into laughter.

"Lucky, I was aiming for a kiss." Edward muttered in Leonardo's ear. Aloud, he seemed to be grossed out. "Leo! What was that for?" He asked, pushing himself away from the archer. Micaiah took a break from her laughter to say the same thing.

"Yeah, what _was _that? Ah-haha!" Then she broke back into laughter. Leonardo glared at Edward who grinned sheepishly. Leonardo sighed; it didn't look like he'd be getting much pity from anyone here. So, trying to recover the nearly lost scrapes of his pride, he spoke.

"Let's stop here for now and train a little. We've lost the mercenaries, but we don't want them to get too lost, y'know? We're still going with Sothe's plan, right?" He asked. Nolan shrugged.

"We don't have much choice. But I agree that we should train. If the Greil Mercenaries fall too far behind they might get lost or try to torture our location out of Sothe." The fighter replied. Micaiah was trembling but she hid it well.

"Yes, we must get stronger! For Daein, for freedom! F-For Sothe." The light mage told them, her voice wavering at the end of her sentence. Edward cheered and Meg nodded eagerly. Leonardo pulled out an arrow and spun it around.

"Alright then. Edward! Let's work on your skills with that wind sword that I grabbed."

* * *

"How's the prince doing?" The swordmaster asked. He was currently guarding the entrance to a well-hidden shelter in the desert. His companion, an unmounted wyvern rider with bright red hair, shrugged. The swordmaster sighed at the news.

"As well as could be expected. His mother is still ecstatic, of course. Izuka is... Just Izuka." They both fell silent for a few moments, letting the desert wind run over them. The sound was constant, but wasn't loud enough to annoy one. Unless, that is, you got bothered easily.

"Zihark... Do you think we'll be able to save Daein?" The woman asked. Zihark shrugged again and shifted position so his sword's tip was grazing the ground. He looked at the wyvern rider and remembered the old Daein girl from the last war. She had changed a lot.

"I hope so Jill. Begnion's an alright country, but this... What they're doing now is no better then what most Daeins do to laguz." Jill nodded sadly. She used to hate laguz, going as far to call them 'sub-humans' and other hateful names. Thinking of laguz, Jill wondered what Lethe was doing. The cat had managed formed a tentative relationship over the war's length with the Daein citizen, but she hadn't seen her since then. Shrugged off the thoughts, Jill looked towards the entrance as a pale-skinned young man came out.

"A... Are you alright?" The prince asked. Jill nodded, as did Zihark. The swordmaster gave the man a small bow, being a gentleman and everything.

"You didn't need to come check on us, sir. We're here to protect you, we won't let the Begnion soldiers get you." Pellas (for a prince he wasn't very confident) nodded uneasily. His dark eyes scanned the emptiness. It was strange for him, being called "sir" and "prince" without a moments notice. After all, he had lived his whole life thinking he was just an orphan. Being a prince had never crossed his mind (realistically, that is; like every young boy he had wanted to be a prince) and now... Everything seemed unreal to him. He turned as another figure came out from the shelter.

"M-Mother!" It was the queen, Almedha mother of Pellas. Zihark and Jill both bowed and the queen walked over to Pellas.

"My dear son, why are you tiring yourself outside? You need to have your rest! You've traveled far from the orphanage, and in such short time... Please, come inside!" Pellas nodded at his mother, and then Zihark and Jill.

"Please be careful, for Daein's sake more then mine." Almedha waved a dismissive hand towards the two fighters.

"They can handle themselves, my son. Now please! The desert sand must be bad for your breathing..." Almedha walked inside and was closely followed by Pellas. Zihark raised an eyebrow at Jill, who shrugged.

"Hard to believe he's Ashnard's son." Zihark commented once the royalty were inside, and the door shut. Jill nodded in agreement. Her wyvern, which was kept on the hill that the shelter had been built into, looked down on them with a critical eye.

"Maybe that's a good thing. I love Daein of course, but Ashnard was mad. Pellas... He seems calmer. More relaxed if not completely. I think he'll be a good ruler, once he has some experience." Jill said, all of her words thoughtful. While she and Zihark had only met the prince a few days ago, his mother and Izuka (who was the 'tactician' of the group) had been looking for 'good Daeins to protect their future king' as Izuka had put it. And while that man could use some improvement, Jill and Zihark couldn't turn away a chance to teach Begnion a lesson. Or the Begnion soldiers who abused Daein so much.

The sound of clinking armor soon grew close enough for Jill's wyvern to hear it, and she roared in alert. Both Jill and Zihark looked over at the desert and saw the glistening sign of white armor. Zihark relaxed his grip on his sword, and Jill let the tension in her limbs run out. It was just Tauroneo, back from a quick look around to make sure that no Begnion soldiers were making camp somewhere a little close for comfort.

"Yeah. But first we've got to take back Daein. Let's hope that Izuka's rumor mill doesn't attract the wrong sort of attention." Zihark commented, somewhat dryly.

Laura had heard news of someone being captured from the Dawn Brigade and put into a local jail, just three miles from the town where she lived. Wondering if it was Sothe, the priest felt compelled to see. Part of her was nervous of what she would find, but then she remembered Micaiah and how nice and kind she had been when helping her get the medicine for the abbot.

And that gave her enough strength to continue moving, even though her limbs were aching and she had forgotten to pack food for dinner and had eaten her lunch several hours ago. Laura remembered when her father had offered to teach her how to ride a horse, but they had been so big for the young five year old... Laura sighed and wished she had taken him up on his offer.

Turning what Laura hoped to be the final corner on the sparsely populated street (mostly Begnion soldiers and a few Daein boys looking for trouble) Laura looked around for what could be a local inn of sorts. She knew she'd have better luck getting inside as an innocent priest when she was more prepared and less hungry. Also, it was getting dark out and Laura had no wish to get lost on her way to the prison.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where a local inn is?" Laura asked a group of young boys. They scowled at each other and one of them pointed towards some bright lights in the distance. Laura nodded.

"Thank you." They must have noticed her Daein accent, because then one of them said,

"Be careful lady. 'Em Begnion soldiers are a rotten lot." Laura smiled sadly at them and nodded again. The boy was right. She's have to be careful.

"I know. You be careful too!" She walked away and shivered as a cool breeze passed her. It would be good to get a warm meal and a nice (or at least decent) bed, even on the little coin she had.

* * *

Shinon and Mia were busy trying to set up a few tents, though their attempts were border-line pathetic. Mist was cooking something she claimed to be stew, though Ike had smelled it and looked at it, and it reminded him of mushy carrots in water with herbs on the top. At least there's a fire, Ike thought to himself. Boyd had gone out to get more firewood with his ax, and while Ike was fairly certain Soren wouldn't have let him (something about saving weapons?) Ike was too tired and worn out to bother caring.

Because the entire day had been going around like idiots trying to find some hint of where the stupid Dawn Brigade was. At last they heard that a girl with silver hair had stopped by a local town, but it had been three hours ago they heard that and the event itself had happened the day before. Lucky, sure, but hard luck if anything.

"Dammit, that doesn't go there!" Shinon swore, tossing the tent to the ground. Mia glanced at Ike and the hero swore her look said 'help me' but Ike just shrugged. In all honesty Ike felt like swearing a little too, and if Mist hadn't been there he probably would have. The entire day and only three hours was a good solid chase. As much as Ike hated to admit it, he was close to waiting for Soren's group to catch up so he could create a better plan with his tactician.

"Stop swearing Shinon! See, that goes there and this goes here!" Mia shouted back at the sniper, who glared back at her with a look of pure venom. They both would have glared at each other until the night was over and long gone but Ike sighed and motioned for them to stop.

"Both of you calm down. Shinon, go collect fallen branches for fire wood. Mia, go find Boyd and make sure he doesn't try cutting down the forest. _I'll _set up the tents." He told them. They both glared at him but Mia nodded and ran off into the forest. Shinon scowled and walked off in the opposite direction. Mist looked at her brother, who looked close to bashing something (or someone) with his fists out of anger. Mist sighed and told him,

"We're all a little tense. Things haven't been going well recently. Still, I'm sure everything will be fine in the end!" Ike sighed and nodded, standing up and heading over to the tents.

"I sure hope so." He said as he started to understand the heap of things that was supposed to be two tents. He slumped his shoulders. This was going to be a long night for them all. Then he heard a loud crashing sound, followed by Mia shouting.

"BOYD YOU FUCKING IDIOT! THAT'S A GODDESS DAMN TREE YOU MORON! WHAT KIND OF HERB ARE YOU SMOKING? WE CAN'T GO AROUND CUTTING TREES DOWN!" For Boyd's sake, Ike hoped Mia had left her sword at camp. Mist gave Ike a frightened look. Ike sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It had been less complicated running an entire army three years ago, then running this one little group now.

"I'm sure she'll calm down soon. I better make sure Boyd survives until then." Ike said, adding possible dismemberment of limbs to the things that might happen to Boyd, or anyone who got in Ike's way. Chasing the Dawn Brigade, it almost made Ike long for the days of simple bandits who barely knew which end of the sword to hold.

And Ike was certain that he was missing the voice of intelligence and reason that was Soren. Of course, judging by the loud string of insults Mia was throwing at Boyd, maybe it was best Soren never heard about this particular incident. For all of their sakes.

They had made it to the town Ike had last been in, and while it was comforting to read the notes everyone had left behind, they also learned that Ike had spent an entire day in said town. Soren couldn't understand what would have been wrong with a simple 'no' and leaving right then and there to chase after the Dawn Brigade. He would have to talk to Ike about the difference between being polite and being practical. Honestly, an entire day?

Oscar didn't seem too upset by the news. Of course, he was glad that Rolf would have somewhere nice to sleep that night and he was glad to hear Boyd was alright, even though it had been unlikely for the first group to have fought the Dawn Brigade so soon. An apparently Shinon had even left a small note for Rolf, to Soren's mild surprise.

Titania and Rhys were downstairs eating with the others, but Soren wasn't feeling hungry. Ok, he was a little peckish but he tided himself over with a few rolls as he looked over a map of Daein and plotted out the paths of his group, Ike's group, and the Dawn Brigade. Not a lot was on it so far, but Soren was certain it would come in handy later on. And it was a good way to reduce stress and think about recent events in peace and quiet.

He narrowed his eyes at the paths marked out, as if staring at the paper would give him some insight on what the Dawn Brigade was planning. Illogical, certainly. But if it would get him back with Ike sooner, then he was willing to try nearly everything. Soren sighed and pulled out another piece of paper, with the little information he was able to gather on the Dawn Brigade.

He looked at the first name. Sothe, it read. It listed his abilities (a rouge with combat experience) and any known connections (none). Soren wasn't sure why Sothe would be helping Daein citizens in freeing Daein from Begnion's soldiers. Wasn't he on our side during the war? Soren thought. He could remember nearly everyone from the last war, if only because he had gone over the lists more times then he could count and had relied on them to protect Ike for an entire war.

His mind rarely drifted off-topic, but now he was reminded of Stefan, the other Branded from the war. He had been able to know Soren was a Branded just by looking at him... Soren had wondered if it was just the trueblade, or if he would be able to tell sometime in his own life. But he didn't know of any others to be a half-breed like him, and even if he did, he doubted they would tell him. Soren instinctively fingered his mark, which most people mistook for one of a spirit charmer's. Thankfully, no one had discovered its true meaning. Well, no one except for Stefan.

The door suddenly opened and Soren was already framing a spell, but it wasn't anyone to be worried about, just Oscar. Probably going to ask if I want something to eat, Soren thought. He was right, to some extent. Oscar place the bowl of soup in front of him.

"Eat. You won't get better starving yourself." Soren quickly thought of the rolls he had already consumed and shook his head. Oscar mistook it for denial that he needed to eat.

"Everyone has to eat Soren. As distracting as it can be, its part of living." Soren sighed and barely held back a slur of comments. Calm down... Don't attack him, that would be bad for the mercenaries. So Soren instead gave Oscar his evil eye, but the man's smile didn't waver.

"I already ate dinner. Go back downstairs, I'm sure they're missing you." Which was a lie, as Soren couldn't even start to guess at Rolf's mind and he doubted Titania and Rhys were missing anyone. Gatrie was almost certainly with a local girl at this point.

"Rolf's already asleep, and Titania and Rhys went into their rooms as I came to feed you. Ike wouldn't want you to go hungry." And then it all made sense for Soren. The sage gave Oscar a wary look.

"What did Ike tell you?" He asked. Oscar's smile, for his part, didn't waver.

"He said I needed to look out for you, that you have a way of self-destruction on accident if left to your own devices." Soren slumped his shoulders. Of course Ike would worry about him, but going as far as to get Oscar to add Soren to his family? Well, that was a little much, even for Ike and his protective streak for his friends.

"Well I can handle myself. I can ensure you I will survive even if I do miss a meal or two. Ike's fears will not be realized. Now go to sleep. I promise I will not remain up all night." Oscar nodded and headed out of the dimly lit room. He opened the door and, as he was leaving, put one hand on the door frame and looked back at Soren.

"You have a good friend in Ike Soren. And we're all looking out for you too. Well, except maybe Shinon but he doesn't warm up to people." Soren narrowed his eyes at the squinty-eyed paladin. He was still smiling, dang it.

"I don't either." Soren replied coldly. Oscar shrugged and walked away, closing the door softly. He left the bowl of soup, which Soren glared at. Soren grit his teeth and resisted the urge to hit the bowl off the table. Why did Ike have to care so much? Couldn't he care more about his own safety then him, a worthless Branded? Soren glared at the papers on his desk and decided, maybe going to sleep early wouldn't hurt. With that thought, be blew out the candles and didn't bother changing as he fell onto the bed. It was hard and lumpy and uncomfortable, but Soren had a feeling it was going to be the most comfortable bed in a while.

* * *

"It was great Mist, really." While Ike (along with the others) had been doubtful about the quality of the meal at first (the meal resembling a pile of mush related to piles of wet mud with little lumps inside) it had turned out to be quite tasty. That is, if you were able to take a bite (it took several minutes of convincing to get Shinon to eat anything, though Boyd ate it first to Ike's surprise). Mist beamed at her brother, happy that she was being praised for the good food.

"Yeah, it was awesome! Oscar can't cook as well as you!" Boyd said, grinning. Whether Boyd was just used to Oscar's cooking, or the quality of the meal surprised him, It was still a shock to hear him compliment Mist so much. Ike just laughed.

"It is _not_ that good Boyd! Your brother has taught me a lot, and I still have a long way to go." Mist replied, blushing. Mia laughed.

"Still, it was pretty good. At least we don't have to worry about food then!" The swordmaster exclaimed. She looked at Shinon, who was sitting next to her. He seemed to notice that he was the only one who hadn't complimented Mist's cooking. Didn't Oscar say Shinon usually commented on Oscar's food? For some reason Ike remembered that from a conversation with Oscar from during the war. Strange, considering Shinon's personality.

"Yeah, its good. I'll take first watch if you all clean up." He offered. Mia shrugged although Ike was hesitant. Whenever Shinon wanted something it was best to think over your position first. Mist seemed to have no such thoughts.

"Alright Shinon! But I'm afraid its too dark to clean all the pots... And is there even an running water nearby?" She asked, looking around. Boyd shrugged.

"Well, I _heard _rushing water when I was getting wood." He seemed uncertain, and Ike wasn't about to let Mist walk around the forest because there might be a river.

"Getting wood? You chopped down a tree!" Mia cut in, still mad at Boyd for cutting down an entire tree even though there was plenty of fallen wood.

"Hey, hey. It was small. And I was thinning the forest! People do it all the time!" He held up his hands as if to say he was innocent. Eager to avoid another conflict, Ike spoke up.

"Boyd, bring a torch and an ax and help Mist clean up the pots. Be quick, if you can't find the source of the water come back. Shinon, you and Mia can figure out who gets first watch. I'll take second, and whichever of you doesn't get first gets third. I set up two of the five tents, but we still have three to go. One of you will have to help me." Ike walked over to the pile of tent supplies as Boyd quickly made and lit a torch. There was the sound of pots and pans hitting each other, minor swearing, and then Boyd and Mist were off (each piled down with several pots and various cooking utensils).

"If you take first watch I'll help out Ike with the tents." Shinon offered, though Ike figured he just wanted a chance to chastise Ike for their bad start. Luckily for Ike, it seemed like Mia thought so too. She shook her head.

"I get third watch, I help Ike with the tents and you can be lazy or go get more firewood or examine your bow or whatever else you want to do." Apparently Shinon thought that being lazy was more attractive sounding then annoying Ike, because he nodded.

"Alright. I'm going to be around doing whatever. If I feel like it, I might get more firewood." Considering he'd be freezing too if they ran out of wood, Ike had a feeling he'd get more firewood. If just to avoid minor discomfort.

"I'm gonna help yah out, alright?" Mia asked, walking over once her conversation with Shinon was over. Ike looked up from the jumble of tent and nodded.

"Thanks. I can vaguely remember camping once with my father and Mist, but for the life of me I cannot remember how to set up a tent." Mia laughed and grabbed another tent. She quickly showed him how to put everything together so the tent wouldn't fall over when you were sleeping. They weren't the toughest tents, but since Soren hadn't been certain they wouldn't need winter protection they were strong and durable. Of course, the sage had also slashed the food budget down so Shinon hunting was going to be a big part of eating meat. Hopefully the sniper could be convinced to get off his lazy butt once in a while for the good of the group.

"Its not that hard once you figure it out. I've never seen tents like these before though. Wonder where Soren got them." Ike wondered where Soren got a lot of things, like his insane plans or his amazing ability with tomes. That didn't mean Soren would ever tell him, of course.

Boyd was a lot more jumpy then Mist remembered, turning around at every twig cracking or the sound of leaves rustling in the distance. And since it was a windy fall night, there were a lot of unknown sounds. Mist scowled as she scrubbed the pot in front of her with an old rag she had brought along, finding it funny that Boyd couldn't just relax for once. Funny, and somewhat annoying.

"Honestly Boyd, we aren't going to be attacked. And even if we were, I'm sure we'd be fine." Boyd raised an eyebrow at her, but sat down on a rock near her.

"Yeah. I mean, I have gotten a lot better then the last time we were in Daein." Mist laughed and couldn't help but poke fun at Boyd's ego.

"No, I meant that I can scream loud enough for Ike to come running." Boyd scowled and Mist gave him a warm smile. "Mostly joking Boyd. You were doing really well yesterday." Boyd's scowl lessened, though it didn't disappear entirely. Mist playfully hit Boyd in the arm with her rag, and he looked at her with a 'what do you want me to do?' expression.

"Help clean or something! Or gather up some firewood so we can come back and keep the fire going... I don't want it to be really cold like the first night." Boyd shrugged and stood up, hoisting his ax on his shoulder.

"Also, don't cut any more trees down. Mia's right, we can't go around cutting things down because we're bored." Boyd's scowl grew even though he could see the humor in Mist's eyes. Boyd patted the top of Mist's head, ignoring her indignant shout.

"Of course Mist. Don't worry, just give me a holler if yah need me. My ax'll slice up anyone who tries tah hurt you." Mist smiled and Boyd returned it. Though Mist didn't know it, Boyd had been fighting down growing feelings for the cleric, but was terrified of telling anyone. Luckily him trying to show off wasn't anything new to anyone, and no one saw anything different except a little more protectiveness of Mist. If you looked hard. And squinted. Like Oscar, per say.

"Sure it will Boyd. Now go! I'll be fine!" Boyd laughed as Mist splashed some cold water on him and backed away.

"Ok, ok! I get it!" And turned away. He walked off with his ax, leaving the torch perched carefully near Mist so she could see. Mist took a short break to watch Boyd disappear into the darkness, her eyes gleaming. Boyd was a lot more mature then before, she thought. And he's not that bad of a guy... Mist shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"He's Boyd, Mist, _Boyd_."

* * *

Shinon picked up another piece of wood, adding it to his large (but not big enough to raise eyebrows) pile of wood that he was carrying around. He looked at it with a sniper's and bow maker's eye, noting several flaws in it and thinking it was perfect to be burned into oblivion, or at least a pile of smoldering ashes. Shinon sighed as he glanced back at the fire's light.

He wondered when Rolf would read the note he left him, how the little sniper (who had found a place in Shinon's heart, even if the older sniper denied it) had to get better so Shinon would have something to do in his free time; train Rolf. Then he wondered about Gatrie and wondered if the stupid idiot was finding his way around village girls (strange how he still talked about girls despite being with Shinon) now that Shinon was gone. Shinon hoped not.

While Shinon had toyed with the idea of slowing his group down in a vain chance to see the others, he had quickly seen it as just that; stupid and vain and even more selfish then he usually was. So he had given up on that idea quickly. Still, he had been hesitant to leave a note for Rolf (the fewer people who thought Shinon had a soft spot, the better) and Gatrie (did he know how to read? He certainly didn't act like it).

Scowling as he picked another piece of wood up, Shinon thought it looked like the bow Rolf had tried to make him, three years ago. Bent out of shape, skinny (but not skinny like a bow), and impossible to bend. Shinon added it to his wood pile, thinking it deserved to burn in a fire. Suddenly, the sniper stopped, thinking he heard someone say something. Standing like an idiot for several moments, he shook his head. Just hearing things. Great.

Deciding to head back to the camp before the already small speck of light was gone from his sight, and hoping that a tent or two had yet to be set up (not to help, but to watch while being completely lazy) Shinon turned around and headed back to the camp. He had better things to do then go around, in the cold, collecting wood. After all, he did have first watch.

* * *

Edward waved his arms in the air like he was trying to fly, in a somewhat sad attempt to demonstrate a flying bird laguz named Vlad.

"So then, the archer took careful aim, knowing he'd only have one shot to try to take down the beast. So then... Bam! His arrow flew straight and hit the monster with an accuracy fit for only the best marksmen in the whole continent!" Leonardo couldn't help but shake the feeling the archer was supposed to be him, especially when Edward had said the name of the archer was Leo, and that he was serious to a fault. Judging by Micaiah's occasional glances at him, and Nolan's ever-present smirk, they thought so too.

"Wait, wasn't Vlad a laguz? You called him a monster and a beast in one sentence." Nolan pointed out. He was always more open-minded then your average Daein, probably from his chats with Sothe. Leonardo didn't have anything against the laguz, other then the fact that they had helped Crimea attack Daein three years ago. He certainly didn't call them sub-humans or anything like that.

"Well yeah, but he's an evil laguz! A monster! A terrible beast!" Edward said, his face close to pouting as he crossed his arms across his chest. He was scowling at the fighter, but Micaiah nodded as if in thought.

"Well, technically there are the beast laguz; y'know, the cats and tigers and stuff, so Vlad would be a terrible bird laguz if anything." Micaiah also wasn't against laguz as much as your typical Daein. Which was good, considering Sothe had shouted at Edward for several minutes after the myrmidon had accidentally called the laguz "stupid sub-humans" after the war.

"That's not the point! Now, do you want me to continue my story or not? We haven't gotten to the part where Leo gets the person of his dreams and they live happily ever after!" Not willing to miss a chance for a classic wind-up of Edward, Nolan smirked.

"Is the girl named Edwardline and a trueblade?" Edward glared at the fighter as Micaiah laughed and Leonardo couldn't help but chuckle. In all honesty it was a fair question.

"No! And I seriously heard this one from a merchant caravan during the war! I'm not making it up! Geez, you guys have to jump to your conclusions, don't yah?" Micaiah smiled warmly at the brunette.

"Oh, don't worry Ed. We're just having a good laugh, you don't have to get so mad about it!" Leonardo grinned at Micaiah's words. He stretched out his arms and forced his voice to sound as feminine as he could make it.

"Oh my darling Edward, couldn't you come here so I can be warm in your arms? After all, it is so cold tonight.. Ah-ha, ha-ha." Then the archer fell into laughter as the others quickly did. Even Meg laughed, and Edward sat down (on the opposite side of the fire from Leonardo) with a scowl on his face. Then he grinned evilly at Leonardo.

"Of course my darling Leonardo.. Just sit tight and strong ol' Edward will have you in his arms." Then Edward got up and sat next to Leonardo, motioning for the archer to lay his head in his lap. Blushing as Micaiah and Nolan's combined laughter grew louder, Edward raised an eyebrow.

"No? Oh, and I was sure you liked me too." Leonardo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as Edward grinned and slugged the archer softly on the arm. Leonardo sighed; he had a feeling this was going to be a long night for him, but at least he could get back at Edward.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I'm glad you all like the last chapter... Happy that I updated so quickly? Yes, I'm very proud of myself. I nearly thought I wouldn't update today, and I realize it was a little late of an update, but still! Also, I'm starting basketball soon so my updates may become slower...

**Note: **I was going over my rough ages for the GM, and I realized that I messed up with Rolf's and Mist's. Mist has to be old enough to reasonably marry Boyd at the end of RD, but young enough so her fighting isn't normal, so I picked nineteen in my story. _But_, sixteen wouldn't fit with Rolf acting really young in both games. So Rolf is just a really immature 19 year old... Whoops... If you want to argue with me over the ages, go ahead... I just screwed up a little.

**youdon'tknow: **Ike has more respect for the DB then he even knows. Its one of those things that annoys him, so he doesn't realize that they really do have the ability to become really good one day. I'm a Mist/Boyd shipper, so that's going to be a pairing soon enough XD Soren'll have a little conversation with Micaiah. The contents will be for my mind only, until that chapter shows up of course. Like I said, I want every RD character to at least appear so I need to get Aran and the only thing I could think of was Laura... You're right that Sothe can't be locked up all story long. Just wait; it won't take too long for the whole thing to become more clear.

Pelleas meeting the DB is going to be a little more complicated then I thought, because I have to get the DB to meet Volug and Nailah and Rafiel. Ugh... Actually, I have it planned out so that Micaiah and the DB don't know about Leo and Ed... I mean, my friends goof around all the time and I'm 100% sure they're not involved. Considering they both have crushes on girls... XD

* * *

Leonardo yawned as he entered the tent he was sharing with Edward right then, Nolan just having gone out for his turn at watch. The myrmidon was fast asleep of course, not having had a watch until Micaiah (after Nolan). Leonardo looked over at him while he was on his side. Edward was one of those sleepers who could sleep practically anywhere, and in anyway. Right now, his arms were lying to the right, Leonardo having moved his left one from where it had been.

Edward was facing the right side of the tent, his back to Leonardo. Leo sighed and was about to try to go to sleep when Edward shifted position. Groggily, and mostly asleep, Edward muttered,

"Leo? Zat you?" Leonardo smiled to himself. Edward was a really strange sleeper, being impossible to wake at some moments, and waking up when someone in Crimea sneezed, another.

"Yeah. Go back to sleep, you're tired." Instead, Edward rolled over so his nose was touching Leonardo's. His brown hair was falling over his face and sticking out, so it brushed Leonardo's face as well.

"W-What are you doing? Are you insane? What if Nolan comes in?" Leonardo forced his voice to stay low, unsure of how far Nolan was from their tent. Edward, who was several inches sorter then Leonardo, pushed his head into Leonardo's chest softly. Leonardo bit his lip and, in effect, held back several comments that might push Edward into pouting or something worse.

"I don't care... We should just tell them already." The last part was a harsh whisper, and Leonardo had a feeling that their conversation was going to fall into the usual 'we should/shouldn't tell them' conversation that they had so much.

"Edward... We can't do that to them. Asking them to accept us when so much is going on... Let's wait and see if things get better, alright?" Hoping that his love would then drop the subject, Leonardo put a hand on Edward's head, who tilted his head up to look at the archer.

"You promise?" He asked, eyes glittering even in the darkness. Leonardo sighed, wondering for the millionth time why Edward was so set on telling everyone. He knew that his friend didn't like lying, but they weren't lying. It wasn't like anyone had asked them if they were dating or something. So far, at least.

"Yeah. Let's play it by ear, ok?" Leo asked. Edward nodded happily, snuggling closer to his friend. Leonardo smiled in the darkness. "Love yah Ed." Edward breathed in Leonardo's scent; wood (strangely pine), determination (if that had a smell), and generally comforting smells.

"I know. I love yah too."

Sothe wasn't able to get to sleep. Thankfully Aimee and Ilyana were snoozing in their cell, so it wasn't their voices keeping him awake. No, it was the blaster dripping water that drove him up and over the wall. The rouge swore he was starting to see things. He wouldn't be surprised if he really was seeing things.

"A-Are you awake?" A man's voice, young but not young enough to be a teenager. Sothe took a while to find his voice, his throat dryer then he previously thought possible.

"Y-Yeah... Are you the person with Aimee and... And Ilyana?" Sothe asked, having not heard of any other prisoners on this side of the prison. Aimee had filled him in on all the details during that day, when the guards didn't try to shut them up or weren't nearby.

"Yes. I'm afraid there isn't any water or food I can give you, but I do have something that may heal your wounds." There was a quiet shifting around and then something hit the bars of Sothe's cell and bounced a foot away. Sothe looked over at it. A small pouch resembling a vulnerary. Wait, didn't Aimee say they didn't have any?

"Its not a vulnerary, but an infusion of olive grass... Its used where I come from to heal basic wounds and stop them from getting infected." Sothe wasn't sure if he could trust the stranger, but he didn't have much of a choice. He crawled (not having enough strength to stand) over and managed to pull it into his cell.

"Don't eat it though. I'm not sure what it would do to you..." Well, that took out one way of using it. Sothe quickly opened the pouch, the knots being easy and not very tight. Sniffing it hesitantly, Sothe couldn't smell anything. Shrugging mentally, Sothe got a little bit of it on his fingers and rubbed it over his knees. They had been aching on and off recently, but now they felt better.

"T-Thank you..." Sothe managed to say. The stranger was silent for a few moments, and Sothe was about to try to go to sleep again, when the voice returned.

"You're welcome... My name is Kurth, I was on a pilgrimage when the Begnion men captured me... I do not think we will be rescued." Sothe thought about Micaiah and the rest of the Dawn Brigade, and how they were so determined to save Daein. He hoped they wouldn't do anything stupid like trying to rescue him. He was certain he could break himself out, if he didn't die from starvation first. Of course, that was seeming like more and more of a possibility every day.

* * *

Shinon scowled as another breeze blew through and forced him to shove his scarf back into place. Third watch meant you got more sleep at first, but it was right around midnight and it was _freaking cold_. He sighed and shifted his position several yards away from the main camp. Mia had been stuck with first watch, and Boyd had woken Shinon up from his light sleep. The sniper had been in (and was still in) a foul mood and had swore heavily before throwing the nearest item (a sock) at the warrior. Wondering just how long he had been waiting around for something somewhat interesting to happen, Shinon decided that it hadn't been long.

Great, not only was he on watch but it was cold. He was tired. He was bored. He thought of Rolf and his group, thinking they should have made it to the town by nighttime. While they had passed through several towns on their way to find the Dawn Brigade, they had only stayed at one long enough to leave notes, and that had been for lunch.

Rolf is probably all warm in his bed, or snuggling with Oscar because he was scared or just lonely and wanted to be with someone else... Damn. The young sniper might have been nineteen (sixteen during the Mad King's War) but he acted so young... He was sheltered, more protected then most royalty. Well, maybe not in the same sense. But Shinon knew that Oscar would do anything to keep Rolf young, and it had torn the paladin inside and out recently. After all, if Rolf hadn't been allowed to go around with a bow, confident in his ability (he was taught by a master, after all), his arm wouldn't be hurt now. Shinon glared at a tree, unable to be able to lash out at anything else.

It wasn't winter yet, but it would be soon. Running around Daein (which had the worst winters in all of Tellius) while it was winter, and therefor snowing, was not something Shinon looked forward to. In fact, the sniper couldn't help but agree with Ike that the mission had to be done by the time it started to snow. They could deal with it (had managed to survive during the last bloody war) but it wasn't something they wanted to.

"I fucking hate the cold..." Shinon muttered under his breath, shifting his position again. Maybe three, four more hours until he could wake someone up. Mist's turn, or Ike. Yes, Ike would be fun to wake up, if just to annoy the hero.

Gatrie stumbled into his room (they all had their own rooms, except for Oscar and Rolf who were sharing) around midnight. His head hurt, spun, and he felt like he wanted to throw up. He had gone out and gotten drunk after dinner, deciding that he wouldn't have a again chance for a long time. Of course he hadn't known when to stop, and it was only the feel that he had roughly three gold left (enough to buy a piece of bread if you were lucky) that stopped him.

Holding back dinner, pulling off his heavy clothing, and sitting down on the small bed without bothering to light any candles (in his current condition he had a bigger chance to burn himself or anything other then the candle) and only able to close the door before collapsing and gathering the parts of his mind that were still able to think clearly. Which was not that much. Gatrie took in a deep breath of air that was full of toxic fumes, which helped. He blinked a few times and his vision went clearer by a few degrees.

What was he thinking of? Oh, of course, Shinon. The stupid sniper had left a little note and asked if he knew how to read. Gatrie knew he didn't always act like the smartest (admittedly he had been scammed by more people then he could remember), but he certainly knew how to read. After all, he worked with nobles all the time, and his father (while a total dead-beat) had insisted that Gatrie get a good education. Which was hypocritical seeing as his father could hardly add.

But Shinon. He acted rude, obnoxious, like he hated the world, but he didn't. Inside, he was a nice guy. Deep, deep, deep inside. He had a soft spot for Rolf, Gatrie noted. The young sniper was skilled and could shoot a bow better then anyone else his age, but he acted so young... Gatrie could hardly believe the green-haired boy's real age. Shinon had taught him how to use a bow, and how to make one. Gatrie was pretty sure he was the only one who was told that by the older sniper himself, though someone else probably knew by now.

"Ugh... My head..." Maybe he was thinking too much, but Gatrie's head was starting to hurt. Maybe he should just go to sleep... Gatrie sighed and pulled off his first layer of clothing, his armor having lied in a corner in his inn room since he went to the bar. He crawled under the covers and shivered. It was cold, dang it. Gatrie thought back to the last time he had stayed in the same bed as Shinon. They always had all their clothes on, of course, but sometimes Gatrie could convince the man that no one would care or even notice the sniper wasn't leaving his own room. After all, he usual woke up after everyone else due to a hangover.

That had been a long, long time ago. Gatrie remembered the warmth, the feeling of the taller man's soft hair (Shinon spent more time then he'd admit caring for his hair, and guarded it with pride) tickling his face. Gatrie remembered winding his fingers through the red locks, Shinon stiffening but not pulling away or making any other movement... Gatrie knew that no one, not even Rolf, could touch Shinon's hair. Doing said action would result in loosing a finger or another body part.

Gatrie fell asleep (or passed out, depending on how you looked at it) with a content smile on his face.

* * *

Zihark might have been sitting, wrapped in his heavy winter cloak, but it got surprisingly cold in the desert. With little vegetation to block a breeze, the cold traveled extremely far. And, while his back was to a large hill, the wind was blowing the wrong way for the hill to be any use to block anything. He grit his teeth and pulled his cloak closer to himself.

"Grr... Last nighttime watch in the desert for me... And last time I choose rock instead of paper. Dang them." As if hearing him, Jill's wyvern (Zihark couldn't recall the name) grumbled and looked down on him. Zihark looked up at the green shine, the scales glimmering from the moonlight that reflected off the sand. At least it wasn't very dark, the swordmaster tried to tell himself.

"You too, boy? At least you've got better eyes then me." Actually, Zihark wasn't sure if Jill's mount was a girl or a boy. He assumed it was a girl, now that he thought about it. Whoops. He shrugged, deciding that the wyvern wouldn't know the difference. The day was the same thing, now that they had a small base of operation. Izuka would go on about some master plan and how he was a genius. Pelleas would look a little worried, but Almedha would reassure him that he was royalty, and that everything would come with time. Zihark wasn't sure about that himself, but Tauroneo seemed to know what he was doing, and Zihark trusted the general.

Jill was another case altogether. It seemed like she was trying to make up for the last war, and Zihark figured she _did _have a heavy case of guilt. She had turned against her country, and (by extension) her own father. While she hadn't seen him die herself, Zihark had seen Ike cut down the proud and mighty wyvern lord and he knew it had been to kill Ashnard, but Shiharam shouldn't have had to die. If anything, that was the only thing Zihark really regretted about the war. Ashnard had been mad, he had to die. Zihark told himself this nearly daily, but he still felt like crap about the war.

The door creaked open slowly, and Zihark turned around, pulling out his sword by instinct. No, nothing to worry about. The sword was eased back into its sheath as the noticeable red hair reflected back the moonlight that reflected off Zihark's own blue hair.

"Eh... Jill. Its not your turn yet, y'can get some more sleep if yah want." He told her. She shrugged, her armor on and a steel ax in her hand. Zihark raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything. She didn't have circles under her eyes, and she could always get some sleep during the day. It wasn't like they did anything that required moving.

"... Do you think this will make up for it?" The words were soft, barely heard over the ever-present wind of the desert. Jill moved so she was standing next to Zihark, and he examined her profile. She was confident, but also scared. Someone who was tired of doubting their every move, but couldn't help doing so anyway. It was Zihark's turn to shrug.

"I hope so. Maybe, maybe not. Depends how history, if it remembers us, decides to show us. Personally? I think that Ashnard had to be destroyed. And a lot of good people got taken down with him. Does that make us traitors? I guess. But I would do the same thing again, given the chance." Zihark looked out at the desert. Jill sighed. Her wyvern growled and shifted position, which sounded like boulders being scrapped on by metal, although it was soft.

"Izuka seems to know what he's doing... But I'd rather someone who didn't shout and marvel at his own brilliance, y'know? I mean, whats-his-name from the Mad King's War did well. No one died, which is always a good thing." Jill said, smiling grimly. Zihark returned the smile, though his was a little more carefree.

"Soren? Yes, he did do well... Though he could have used some more smiling." They both fell into silence, thinking of someone they missed from the war. Zihark thought of the strong warrior from Gallia, Lethe, whom he had met and fought with. She had been hesitant to get close to him at first, but he supposed they formed a tentative friendship over the course of the war. And Ilyana, the eternally hungry. She was kind, a sweetheart, and she had eaten Zihark out of most his sword money. Still, she _had _told him that she ate a lot.

Jill wondered about Lethe as well, having learned so much about laguz (not sub-humans, never again) within just a few conversations. They were both warriors, and they loved their home countries. Jill had sworn to never fight against Daein again, and she hoped she would be able to keep her promise. The rider's mind swayed to Mist, the young healer of the Greil Mercenaries. Jill wondered how the brunette was doing, and smiled slightly as she remembered the girl's eagerness to form a new friend. And then, thinking of friends, Jill was reminded of a sleeping Haar, whom she hadn't seen for so long... Jill wondered what he was doing, then answered her own question. Of course the man was sleeping, after all, that was all he really did. But he was a good warrior too, and his abilities were far beyond anything Jill thought she could do.

"Go to sleep, Jill. I'll wake you up in an hour or two, alright?" Zihark's voice broke through the memories of the time before the war, the time when it was generally peaceful and Jill wasn't second-guessing herself every step she made. The red-head nodded, just realizing how tired she really was.

"Alright... Don't wait too long, alright? I can handle an early morning watch." Zihark smiled and laughed, patting her on the back.

"I never said you couldn't. Now, go!" Jill smiled back and reentered the fort. In all honesty, it was sounding like a good idea, getting more sleep.

* * *

Micaiah woke up to the sound of birds chirping (Yune?), hushed laughter, and the sound of a fire crackling. And, what she hoped was food over said fire. She woke up, blurry eyed (her watch had been many hours ago, and she had since fallen into a deep sleep), hair messy, and in an empty tent. It wasn't bright out, but the sun was nearly over the trees, the top of the golden sphere letting out its rays. She yawned and brushed through her hair with her fingers, knowing that none of the others would care if she was bald or the most beautiful girl in all of Daein. She would always be Micaiah, and for that she was thankful.

"I'm telling you, its done already!" Edward's voice. Micaiah heard a girl giggle and knew it was Meg, though she had heard the sound only once before. Micaiah left the tent as Leonardo replied.

"Yes, yes, I heard you the first hundred times!" The archer was pointing at a pot while Nolan watched them with an amused look in his eyes, Meg sitting on the log next to him. Meanwhile, Edward was shaking his head, arms crossed.

"What's done? I hope that's food because I'm starving!" They had stocked up on supplies in the last town they were in, and while their problems were far from over, they wouldn't be scavenging for food anytime soon. In theory. Everyone looked at Micaiah, and Leonardo nodded. For once, it was Edward who scowled.

"Leonardo is insisting that the food is not done, even though the water is boiling and its been steaming for ages! I swear, you're doing this to me on purpose!" Micaiah laughed and walked over, continuing to 'brush' out her hair until she was close enough to look at the food. A broth of some kind, with a few vegetables and, was that meat?

"I got a few rabbits that were nearby, that weren't looking around carefully enough... My arrows are alright too, so that's good." Micaiah smiled at Leonardo and nodded.

"Thanks, I'm sure it'll be fine... Maybe you can try a little before we serve it up?" Though, how they were going to eat it (with only one spoon and no bowls) was beyond Micaiah, she was sure that they'd figure something out. After all, they were like a family. Things like sharing spoons weren't all that bad, and most of them shared tents anyway. Personal space was pretty much destroyed.

"Well, alright then. Now that someone has offered up a _sane _and not _completely stupid _idea, other then _laughing their freaking butts off_." Edward muttered, glaring at Nolan. The fighter gave the myrmidon a look of utter innocence and Micaiah couldn't help but let her grin grow wider.

"Hey now, I'm having some too." Leonardo insisted, after Edward took a sip. The archer took the spoon and licked his lips when he was done. "Not too bad, don't you think?" Edward shrugged.

"Its alright, I suppose. But, erm, I don't suppose anyone grabbed bowls or spoons when we ran?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head. Nolan rolled his eyes and Micaiah shook her head. She was about to reply that, of course they didn't have an utensils, and that they'd have to make do, when Meg spoke up.

"Well... I'm looking for someone so I have enough for two." Micaiah grinned and quickly thought up a plan.

"Alright, we serve up three portions. One bowl that's for one person, Nolan. One bowl for Meg and I, and Edward and Leonardo can eat out of the pot with the big spoon." Nolan nodded, but Edward raised an eyebrow and stuck a finger at the fighter, who stood up and stretched.

"Why does he get a bowl to himself? And don't give me any, he's the oldest, crap." Meg giggled as she gave Nolan his bowl. Micaiah took the one for her and Meg and took the main spoon from Leonardo, who didn't seem to really care he was sharing with Edward.

"Because you and Leo are best friends, and Meg and I are both girls. Anyway, I don't see why you're complaining. You just shared a spoon!" Edward rolled his eyes as Micaiah started to split the broth.

"That's different. I ate first, then Leo ate. I didn't share a spoon, Leo did!" Edward said it like it made a huge difference, which Micaiah completely ignore. Nolan snorted.

"Whatever. You really need to teach him some manners Leo." For some reason Leo blushed and Edward started cracking up. Micaiah sighed and passed the large spoon to Nolan, walking over to the log to sit next to Meg.

"Thanks a lot... And who are you looking for?" Meg blushed and Micaiah heard the distinct sounds of Edward laughing and begging for mercy. Of course Nolan would tickle him to death, if just to cheer up the usually cheerful (anyway) myrmidon.

"Well, he's gonna be my husband!" Micaiah smiled.

"So, you met during the war?" Meg shook her head, causing Micaiah's mild confusion. "So when _did _you meet?" Meg frowned, and Micaiah was worried she had said something wrong.

"Well, we haven't met before. But my pa says he's real nice and he's gonna be a great husband! See..." Meg lowered her voice as if she didn't want the others to hear. "My pa said my oldest sis is gonna marry him, but she's gone off and married another guy. Nice bloke, but now we've gotta get someone else. So, my pa said I'd get along with the man and here I am!" Micaiah wasn't sure about the idea, but Meg seemed fine with it, so the light mage just nodded and smiled.

"Sounds nice... Do you know the man's name?" Meg nodded, smiling again. Micaiah took a sip of the broth. Not bad, Edward had been right. Pity they didn't have any spices.

"Zihark! He met my pa in the Mad King's War, fightin' on the same side an' all." Micaiah nodded and handed the bowl to Meg, who took a sip.

"So where does your father live? What part of Daein?" For some reason, this question made Meg laugh. The girl had taken her sip and swallowed already, so food didn't get all over Micaiah. Micaiah frowned. "What's funny?" She asked.

"Well, yah see... My pa an' I ain't from Daein. We live in Ohma, a lil' town in Crimea!"

* * *

Considering the last day had been a practical waste, Ike decided they were making good time on their current road. The Dawn Brigade had let themselves be seen several more times up ahead, and while it was clear they wanted the Greil Mercenaries to follow them, Ike didn't know why. After all, if the two groups met again things would end badly; for the Dawn Brigade.

Another concern was that people were starting to realize that the Greil Mercenaries were in Daein. _The_ Greil Mercenaries, the people who pretty much destroyed Daein three years ago. It was making a few things complicated, such as holding back Shinon when a stupid kid threw a rock at the sniper, which went right past the red-head's chest. Luckily, Boyd was stronger then Shinon and the sniper's glare had caused every Daein citizen to scatter like leaves in the wind.

Still, the walk was slightly monotonous, and the landscape didn't change as they went on either. Mist yawned as she stretched her arms and looked around the falling leaves of the relatively easy to walk through forest. Boyd looked a little bored, and the trail they were following was so clear Ike didn't mind. Shinon always looked bored, so no changes there. The only person (including Ike himself) that looked somewhat interested was Mia.

"Hey, do you think I'll be able to face that myrmidon when we fight the Dawn Brigade?" Mia asked, suddenly breaking the sound of leaves breaking and birds chirping. Ike glanced at the energetic woman, who was walking next to Boyd. Ike wasn't a hundred percent sure why everyone was so tired, considering they had gotten enough sleep last night. Not as much as they would have liked, certainly, but enough.

"I suppose." Boyd replied, shrugging. Mia nodded excitedly. Ike knew Mia was a little pent-up because she hadn't had a good fight recently, but they didn't have time to beat bandits or train. They had a brigade to catch, after all.

"And what about you, Shinon? Do you want to fight the archer?" Mia asked. No, Ike was more worried about trying to keep all of Daein from knowing that the Greil Mercenaries were in town. Shinon glared at Mia and shook his head, a look of contempt on his face.

"That man? Ha, he's nothing special, not worth worrying about." In a nutshell, that was a no. It was no wonder the master sniper (Ike didn't kid himself about Shinon's skill) said he wouldn't seek a fight with someone he saw as 'lesser'. Another problem that Ike was hearing was rumors about a 'prince of Daein' being somewhere in the desert. Well, at least we know where the Dawn Brigade will be heading, Ike thought to himself.

"Huh? The fighter? Eh, he's alright." Mia was now bugging Boyd about the fighter. Ike glanced up at the sun. It wasn't midday by any means, but it had been a while since they had stopped. But their casual walk shouldn't be taking very much out of them... Ike sighed and looked around at the nearby road. No, nothing to worry about.

"Brother? Do you think we'll find them soon?" Mist asked, her voice soft and obviously tired. Ike shrugged. He certainly hoped so, and so did the rest of his friends.

"I hope. I've heard about a 'prince of Daein' in the desert. I suppose that's where the Dawn Brigade are heading." Boyd and Mia nearly simultaneously looked back at Ike. Mia raised an eyebrow and Boyd looked surprised.

"Where'd you hear that?" Boyd asked. Mia rolled her eyes and made a motion at Boyd that was probably suppose to be an insult to his surprise.

"I've heard it too. Haven't you heard some of the citizens saying their new ruler will kill us, or some other crap like that?" Boyd rubbed the back of his head. They had stopped walking, and Mist was lying against Ike like he was a tree. Shinon _was _leaning against a tree, looking uninterested in all the events around him.

"Well... I guess if you've heard those I must have heard them. Personally I just ignore them whenever we have to pass through a town." Mia rolled her eyes again and Ike sighed, sticking his sword in the ground.

"We need to talk. Sit down and we can rest for a couple minutes." With all the things going through his head, Ike felt like he needed to tell someone, anyone, before his head burst open. Mist cheered halfheartedly, and Ike would have sworn he heard Shinon sigh. Mia and Boyd both glanced at each other (they bugged one another constantly, but they were still friends) and nodded. Boyd sat down right there, but Mia sat down on a stone a few feet away. Ike sat on an old tree stump, next to Mist.

"Am... Am I the only one who thinks something is wrong about this whole thing?" He asked. Mia shrugged and Boyd scratched his head again. Ike forced back a sigh. This might take longer then he thought.

Soren knew he was limping and he felt a coursing pain every time his foot hit the ground. His wound would heal up in maybe another month. If he was resting all the time, getting healed (which he was, thanks to Rhys), and not having to walk around a lot. So, if he brought all of the things that weren't encouraged for people healing from major injuries, he might heal in six months.

It was disappointing, but nothing could be changed. Rolf's arm was giving him trouble, too (though not as much as Soren's hole in his chest), but he had been healing for a few months. And Rhys was sick on and off, but Titania would just pick him up and carry him whenever things got to hard. Soren knew he wouldn't let anyone in his current party carry him, but he wasn't sure about Ike. Ike was... He was someone special.

"Do you need some help?" Oscar, curse him. The nickname squinty-eyed dastard was starting to make sense to the sage. The paladin wasn't too annoying, sure, but the fact was that he only tried to make sure Soren was alright because Ike told him to. None of his care was real, Soren told himself.

"No. I can walk by myself." They were on a forest path, just having left a small town with news that Ike was heading towards the desert, closing in on the dang Dawn Brigade. The sooner this whole thing was over, the sooner Soren could stop walking so much and read more.

"Are you sure? You can ride-" Soren cut off the man with a sharp glare, hoping that his tightly grit teeth and his pale skin wouldn't give him away. He was feeling more pain then he wanted the others to know, because Titania would start being all motherly and Gatrie would force him to get onto a horse or a stretcher at Oscar's words.

"I am fine. Now leave before I decide to train with my elwind." Oscar sighed and led his horse forward to where Rolf was talking to a tired (but walking) Rhys. Titania was smiling at something the young man had been saying. Gatrie seemed to constantly fall to the back, though it wasn't too much of a problem. At least Soren wasn't last, and the general was keeping a safe distance from the sage at all times.

"He's trying to be nice." At least, the blond usually was far away from Soren at all times. Soren grit his teeth. What was it, bug Soren by talking to him day? "I know yah think I'm just an idiot, but I can tell yah need help." Soren turned his glare onto the man in blue armor.

"You can assume all you want, but trust me, I am harder to read then you think." Soren replied coldly. Gatrie just shrugged, as if he was expecting the difficult answer. He _did _deal with Shinon all the time, Soren thought. So maybe he wasn't as incompetent as he looked.

"You're more like Shinon then you think, y'know." Then again, some books were like their covers. Soren felt his nails digging into his palms. This was going to be a long walk.

* * *

Laura was nervous, entering the prison. Sure, entry was easier then she had thought. After all, she was a harmless priest from a local church. What could she do except pray? So she held onto her basket (full of food) like it was the most important item she owned, her heal staff in her free hand. And that was when she saw tail-tell bright green hair.

"A-Aran?" The man looked back at her, but Laura found herself being shoved forward by another, harsh, guard. The man was quickly out of view as Laura was led farther into the compound, and the woman felt a brief moment of despair. There were so many people... Certainly Sothe was good and had plenty of skills, but who knew what kind of condition he would be in? And Laura wouldn't kid herself about any fighting abilities; she had none. Unable to think of a solid plan, Laura soon found herself in a room lined with prison cells.

"Ten minutes, no more." A rough voice told her. Laura nodded and quickly looked around. Most of the cells seemed empty, except for one where a mop of green hair was the first thing Laura noticed. She forced back a sigh of relief. There was still the hard part left.

"Sothe? Is that you?" The head looked up at her and seemed to take several moments to recognize her. He nodded, and Laura quickly pulled out the bread and meat she had brought. Sothe seemed in bad shape, she noticed with a slight waver of despair. What if he wasn't able to fight? What then? "Here, bread and meat. It isn't much, but..." It was all she could afford, having already spent much of her coin on a small room for one night. If her plan went as she hoped, then she would be out of the town by the time the next night came around.

"Oooh, is this one of your friends, Sothe?" Someone said from behind Laura. Startled, the priest yelped and looked behind her. It was a voice from a cell, she noticed. "Oh, I'm sorry dear, if I startled you. I know Sothe from the Mad King's War. So does my sleeping friend over here." The woman had black hair and wore some kind of bright pink clothing. Laura was surprised she wasn't cold, but then realized she was probably used to it by then. The woman's friend had light purple hair, Laura saw.

"Mhmh... Thank you for the food... Erm..." Sothe spoke suddenly and Laura turned towards him. She shook her head.

"No worries. Now..." She dropped her voice into a whisper, though the prison echoed terribly loud. "We need to get you out." Laura pulled one last object out of her basket; a key she had taken from the armory out of instinct. It seemed that her wandering fingers would help her now, and Laura sent a quick prayer to the goddess. Luckily it fit the door perfectly, and within seconds the door was open. Sothe forced himself to his feet. Laura quickly opened up the door to the woman's cell as well.

"I'm Aimee, and that's Ilyana. I'm not a fighter, so I hope you have a plan to get us out of here." Aimee looked at Sothe and shrugged. "I'm sure you're fine, Sothe, but it doesn't look like it." Laura looked at Ilyana, who was a little slower to get up. There was another person with them, a young man it looked like, but he didn't say anything.

"I can use thunder magic if we find a tome... But I can't use anything else..." Her voice was soft but Aimee's had echoed down the hall. Sounds of soldiers coming prompted Sothe into action. Laura had brought several knives with her, and she handed them to him. He swung them around to get back into his comfort zone with the familiar (enough) weapons.

"Alright. They have to have a place with all of our stuff. We go there, and we break out from there. Uh..." Sothe glanced at the other man. "Kurth, I don't suppose you have any special abilities we should know about?" The man shook his head and Sothe nodded. He looked pale and weak, but as the soldiers came into sight, he went into action.

A quick dodge of a spear and slicing one of them quickly, kicking the other away for Laura to whack over the head with her staff (magical, so it wouldn't break), and two of the three were gone. But as the third was about to be attacked, Laura stopped Sothe by grabbing his arm.

"No! Stop! Its Aran, my friend!" Sothe looked at Laura like she was crazy, though the soldier didn't attack them. Now that she got a good look, Laura was certain it was her childhood friend.

"Laura? I thought so... But what are you doing here? Why are you risking your life to help him?" Aran waved a hand at Sothe, who was still in his fighting position. Laura looked at him with sad eyes.

"I should be asking you what you're doing here! You're Daein! How can you help the enemy? How can you turn a blind eye to what they are doing?" Laura forced back what felt like tears. "Doesn't our friendship mean anything to you? We both love Daein; how could you forget that?" Aran lowered his lance, and he looked at the ground with an ashamed look in his eyes.

"I don't know if I'm really a Daein, after the Begnion merchants took me in... But I can't turn a blind eye anymore, I can help you escape from here, if that's what you wish." Laura let out a small cheer and jumped up in excitement. Sothe didn't look fully convinced, but he didn't look like he'd stab Aran in the back, so that was good.

"Glad to see a friendly reunion, but we have to get moving before someone notices the guards are missing. Aran, can you lead us to an armory, or wherever they have our weapons?" The man nodded. He motioned for them to follow him, and the small party ran after him and they emerged into the daylight with various reactions. Laura and Aran both squinted, but they recovered relatively quickly. Sothe looked like he had been blinded, and Aimee and Ilyana and Kurth (who had been imprisoned for quite some time) looked like they wouldn't be of much use for a while.

"Alright, to our left is the direct exit. We can go there if you think we can take them on, but I wouldn't recommend it. They outnumber us vastly, and you can hardly see." Aran was talking to Sothe, who was holding up a hand in a vain attempt to stave off the sunlight. Laura was looking around as Aran spoke, listening, but more worried about someone spotting more then a guard with a few prisoners. "To our right are a few rooms. None of them should be locked, and I have a few keys anyway, but that's where we keep all of the things taken from prisoners. Not in the main armory because its easier to have a place on-site." Sothe nodded, lowering his hand, though he still squinted heavily.

" I don't know if my daggers will be there, because I wasn't taken captive here." Aran shrugged and Laura frowned, but shook her head.

"We can't worry about that now. Hurry, before someone spots us!" Sothe and Aran both nodded, and the two took off at a fairly quick pace. Laura stayed with the other three, who were slowly regaining the ability to see. She led Aimee past a stray barrel, and Ilyana past a patch of mud. Kurth seemed to be able to see the best.

Suddenly there was some shouting and Laura felt a wave of dread rush over her; they had been spotted and the guards were rushing towards them quickly. A thick patch or three of grass would slow them down, but they wouldn't be able to get to the right rooms in time. Thinking the same thing as her, Sothe and Aran stopped and pushed the unarmed women and Kurth behind them.

"We can fight them here, Laura, take my keys and bright Ilyana with you. Maybe you can get her a tome she can use before..." Aran trailed of as he handed said keys to his friend. He didn't need to finish his sentence. Laura nodded fiercely and grabbed Ilyana's hand. She started to run and had taken four or five steps when the fight started.

* * *

Sothe was in a bad condition, and he knew that. He was sore all over, his sight was fuzzy (he had more of a chance of hitting Aran, he thought, then the enemy), and his attacks were weak at best. But he knew he couldn't just stop, couldn't sit down or ask for a break. No, that would be death.

For his part, Aran wasn't doing to badly. He seemed to not care he was cutting down old allies, and he swung his lance with a trained kind of precision. Not bad, but not very battle-hard either. Sothe let out a cry as he managed to catch a fighter in a deadly critically injuring attack and the other man fell down, dead.

But with his death Sothe found himself ducking under a sword and kicking aside an arrow. Great, archers. Aimee let out an inhuman scream as one man found his way past the two men fighting, but Kurth punched the myrmidon and it gave them enough time for Aran to throw a javelin through the man. Aimee's scream puttered out, and Kurth would need a new set of clothing (or at least a new cloak), but they were alive. For now.

Laura had long since disappeared out of Sothe's poor sight, along with Ilyana. Hopefully the priest wouldn't get attacked. Of course, he and Aran were providing pretty good distractions, the rouge thought as he avoided another arrow. Dang, those things were flying everywhere.

Right when Sothe thought they might have some hope, three more soldiers came out of seemingly nowhere and the sound of hoof-beats came to his ears. Great, they have a fucking cavalier, Sothe thought.

"Kill them all! Let none of them escape!" Considering the fact that Sothe was badly injured and could hardly think straight, Sothe had a feeling that particular task wouldn't be very hard for the Begnion dogs to accomplish.

"Sothe! Aran! Hold on!" Laura cried out of nowhere, and next to Sothe said soldier stumbled. An arrow stuck out of his right shoulder, which the man forced himself to pull out and he continued to fight with the wound. And then, the so helpful it was almost divine sound of elthunder. Magic had never sounded so welcome.

"Look out!" A man, his voice heavy with a Begnion accent, cried out. Too late, some dark side of Sothe thought, as an archer was cooked with the spell. Sothe could only hope Ilyana would survive with Laura's help, and that Aran wouldn't faint from the bleeding wound, or else they would all be dead. Then, a completely unexpected and quite possibly the most random sound Sothe had ever heard. It was not that he'd never heard it before, because he had heard it many times in the last war. It was more of the kind of sound you'd expect in Gallia, or even Crimea. Certainly not Daein. A tiger's roar, the kind of thing that shook you to your very core.

The guards exchanged uneasy looks, pausing their attack for a moment and giving Sothe time for a breather. The rouge looked at Aran, who gave him a weak smile. Laura and Ilyana (the two had been running back) finally got within healing distance and Laura healed Aran's shoulder quickly, though it took two uses of the staff.

"I'll be alright... What was that? A sub-" Sothe cut him off with a wave of his hand. He knew that most Daeins only knew the word sub-human, but it still angered him. But the lesson would have to wait, because the sound had not repeated itself and the guards were coming back to their senses.

"It matters not! Kill the prisoners! Let none of them live!" Suddenly Sothe's vision snapped into focus, and he realized they couldn't have won in the first place. Outnumbered with at least twenty others in the yard, and in various levels of poor conditions, Sothe tried not to notice Laura with tears in her eyes, or Aran's obvious fear in his eyes. Ilyana looked sorrowful, like she wished she was eating good food instead of fighting. Sothe could agree with the mage on that point.

As the yard fell into a chaotic fighting again, Sothe felt a burning in his right arm and realized an arrow had flown past him. Then he was stumbling back, bleeding from a sword cut in his chest. Laura, where was she? She was healing Aran, whose armor couldn't stand up to punishment from a fighter's ax. Thunder seemed to fly over Sothe's head, but it wasn't enough. None of it missed, but it was gone as soon as it landed, never sticking around long enough to kill.

And then, the sound of shouting far away, another roar (surely he was imaging it), and what he would have sworn were flapping wings and a screech the hawk king would have blinked at (but his mind was shutting down, everything was going black). And then, to make him certain he was dying and his mind was going crazy;

"Never fear, Tormod is here!"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Like the nice cliff-hanger? Yeah, you know you did. XD As for Laura having a prison break-out? Well, nothing says AU (or AR) then that! Very proud of my long chapter that is the previous chapter, so I took a little break... -Sweatdrop- Anyway, I put up a oneshot some time ago, but I just wanted you to all know I wasn't completely being lazy. Only a little bit. XD Anyway, my life has been all over the place recently with acctivites so I can't say when the next chapter will be up...

**Youdon'tknow: **Kissing I haven't written much for straight pairings, let alone slash. Also, in order to not 'scare away' people who don't like slash I won't go into much detail... Anything farther then kissing is out of my range, y'know? Actually, I wrote one story with a gay couple main, but for a different category. Thanks for thinking I can pull it off though XD I'm pretty sure Frodo and Sam (the 'other hobbit') aren't gay XD They are _really _good friends though. Shinon and Gatrie? They're gay. Or maybe bi. Depends what I'm going to do... Actually, I was getting bored of having just the DB and GM so I brought in the desert folk. This chapter Micaiah won't run into them, but she'll get into the desert... So she'll run into someone soon enough XD Part of the reason I didn't write the Ike talk w/ the other GM is because I wasn't sure how it would play out right then, but I have my thoughts in order now! Anyway, I suppose you want to get on with the story so I'll stop taking up space XD

* * *

Luckily their 'little talk' didn't actually take that long, to Ike's surprise. At least, the others somewhat agreed with him (though Mist didn't look like she cared and was just enjoying a break from walking) to various extents. Most surprising was that, for once, Shinon was the first to voice his agreement, and his agreement was full. The sniper agreed; something fishy is going on in Begnion and whatever it was the Dawn Brigade wanted to show them. So following said brigade was their plan of action. Hopefully they wouldn't be going _all _over Daein. That would be a little crazy. Though, if they stopped in Talrega they could see Jill and maybe get the wyvern rider to help them out.

Ike hoisted his pack onto a more comfortable part of his back as a break in the trees appeared ahead of them. Mia glanced at Ike and looked like she wanted to run ahead (like a little kid, but that was just Mia for you) and Ike nodded. She grinned and bolted past Boyd and Mist, the younger who laughed as several leaves flew towards her face.

"Wow, look at this place!" Mia called out, pushing Boyd into thinking 'heck to appearances' and running forward as well, laughing when Mist followed with her own laughter mixing into his. Ike smiled to himself and couldn't help but slide his eyes over to Shinon, who just scowled more and continued walking at his constant pace; as in, a lazy walk.

"Isn't this amazing brother? Look at this!" A huge stone, like the world's largest sundial, stood in the middle of a clearing. The grass seemed a little greener, the sun a little brighter, and the spot seemed to improve everyone's mood. After all, one could only walk so far, and pass so many trees before driving themselves nuts. "Can we eat here for lunch? Please?" Mist asked, running towards Ike and pulling on his arm. Ike shrugged and was about to reply when he spotted Mia jumping into a large pile of leaves. Her cry of joy was only lessened by Boyd's laughter when she swore, having landed on a sharp stone. Ike sighed.

"Only if no one is an idiot and gets hurt jumping into piles of leaves." He said, knowing that it was barely noon and they had stopped for long enough earlier. Still, leaving now would just earn him a bunch of crap from everyone else (except maybe Shinon, who always gave him crap anyway) unless they stopped at the nearest town or some other crazy idea. Ike was certain Soren would have had none of it, but hey, he wasn't Soren. Though, Ike did miss bouncing ideas (most of which were turned down and the flaws pointed out) off the sage.

"Hahaha! S-Stop tickling me! Bo-yd!" Mist was laughing her head off as Boyd nearly tackled her, fingers flying as he tickled her under her shoulders. Mia was laughing as she watched, Mist asking her to help (through fits of laughter), but doing nothing because she was too busy holding her ribs. Shinon had walked into the clearing and was shaking his head disdainfully.

"We're stopping so they can play in the leaves?" The sniper asked, raising an eyebrow. Ike didn't look at him, keeping his eyes on his laughing sister. The hero shrugged as Mist finally managed to slap Boyd's hand away, rolling away from him.

"They're happy. And if the Dawn Brigade want us to follow them... Well we don't have to worry about loosing them." Ike wished he could have ended the conversation there, but Shinon being Shinon, the sniper narrowed his eye in reply.

"How can we be sure about their plan? They could be running from us this very second." Shinon didn't seem to put much emotion into his words, but Ike had never heard him really care about anything, so it wasn't very different. "Besides... Leaves? Honestly..." Ike glanced at Shinon, who was glaring at the others as they (the three of them, as Mia had been pulled into the fray) rolled around and laughter. Ike sighed.

"Mist is happy. I haven't seen her laugh like that in ages... She deserves to be able to act like a kid, even if she wasn't one when she was supposed to be." Shinon raised an eyebrow as Ike turned back to the three. "Wouldn't you feel the same about Rolf?" Ike asked. Shinon's eyes narrowed even more, until they were little more then slits. Ike knew he had said the right (or potentially lethal) spot.

"Rolf is a big boy now, he can handle himself." Shinon muttered somewhat darkly. Ike sighed and was about to reply when Mia was tackled by Boyd and Mist was trying to tug the fighter off of the swordmaster.

"Ike! Come on!" His little sister called out. Ike sighed and decided he might as well help Mia out, but then Boyd grabbed one of his legs and Ike found himself being tickled to death by Mist and Mia, Boyd smirking as he put his headband on straight.

In between fits of laughter, when his brain had enough oxygen to think properly, Ike decided that a little revenge wouldn't hurt. And because his attention was on surviving the sneak attack, and the others were too busy watching him, no one noticed the small smile tug on Shinon's lips. Of course, it was quickly replaced with a scowl.

* * *

Sothe was starting to think that the Black Knight was still alive, the goddess was going to appear to the world, or that the Begnion senators were going to have justice served to them. Any of that would have been somewhat easier to believe then the suddenly appearing Tormod. Of course, the fire sage had easily been able to help Sothe's group out, as was Muarim (who had, apparently, carried Sothe off the battle-field in his arms) and Vika (the raven laguz was new to Sothe, but she seemed nice enough).

"I don't see why you're so surprised! The Apostle's been thinking that something rotten is happening in Daein, so she sent me to go check it out! I heard about a member of the Dawn Brigade being captured, so I made my way to the prison. It's pure luck I made it here the same day you decided to hold a prison break." Tormod would not stop talking, even though Sothe was starting to form a headache and they were all quite tired. Aran and Laura were off talking on the side, muttering things that Sothe supposed the others weren't supposed to hear (even though Muarim and Vika probably could). Ilyana had talked briefly with the tiger laguz while Sothe had passed out (more from exhaustion and malnutrition then anything), and now she was munching silently on a bread roll Tormod had had with him. Aimee seemed to be interested in Vika for some reason (maybe the shop owner was trying to talk to a fellow girl about beauty tips?) and Kurth... Well Kurth was silently following them all, his cloak tightly covering him.

"Tormod, maybe we could go over this later? I just escaped a prison and I'm not really up to your antics..." Sothe muttered, as honest as he thought he could be without hurting the sage's feelings. Tormod frowned and then brightened up, as if he had some revolutionary idea.

"I know! Where's the nearest stream?" He asked Muarim, who sniffed the air. The tiger laguz frowned, as if in deep thought.

"I smell water, but something is different in it... It flows like a stream, but smells like it is stagnant... I do not like it, Little One. Give Sothe some of the water in my canteen, I'm not thirsty." Sothe opened his mouth to protest- he wasn't _that_ thirsty, he'd be fine- but Muarim just glanced at him and Sothe closed his mouth. Tormod shrugged (you don't argue with a beast laguz's nose) and pulled out the right canteen, handing it to Sothe. Since it was made for huge hands, Sothe found himself holding it with both of his, and carefully sipping out of it so no water spilled. If Muarim was right, and the water was going bad in the streams for some reason, then they'd want to keep their water supply high.

"I bet those Begnion soldiers are trying something to get us... We'd better watch out, Sothe." Tormod said, his cheerful disposition momentarily gone. It reminded Sothe that, despite the outward appearance of happiness and strength, Tormod still was dealing with more things then you'd think. The sage _did _go around freeing the few laguz slaves left, in his free time. Then Tormod was grinning again and he softly slugged the rouge in the shoulder. "Or else we'll have to kick some of their butts!" Sothe rolled his eyes and he saw Muarim glance at Vika, who was looking a little panicked. Muarim raised an eyebrow at Sothe when the tiger realized he was being looked at, and Sothe quickly looked away. Muarim looked worried, and while the laguz cared for his foster son more then anything else... Seeing someone who was usually so confident was worrying. Just what could those Begnion soldiers be doing?

* * *

Three hours before, Jarod had arrived at the prison to see what had happened. He was greeted with over three-fourths of his men dead, the remaining ones badly injured, and their leader without a horse. He made them all line up and shouted at them for at least an hour, about how 'some stupid Daein rats' were not going to soil the Begnion pride.

Then, with an evil smile on his face, Jarod had ordered the nearest streams filled with poison for three days.

"Let's show these rats what happens when they mess with us!" His smile was wicked and his expression mad; but no one dared challenge what was soon becoming a mad-man.

* * *

It had taken five seconds (Micaiah telling him to stop) to get Leonardo to not point his bow at Meg. It had taken fifteen minutes to be able to stop restraining Edward as he continued to struggle and shout 'let me at her' without listening to a thing Micaiah said. Luckily, Nolan was stronger. Micaiah hated Crimea, sure, but not as a whole. She hated 'Commander' Ike for leading the destruction of Daein, and by extension she hated the veterans of the war for letting Begnion go on with destroying Daein. But Meg was innocent enough, and while Micaiah wasn't sure that she wouldn't attack her fiance or her father, Meg seemed nice.

Plus, Micaiah at least had given her a chance to explain herself. Edward would have taken his sword and turned the armored sword into slices.

As it was, Edward was still in a bad mood and Leonardo seemed to refuse to talk to Meg. Nolan was just his quite, thoughtful self, not on either side of the inner conflict. Micaiah had listened to Meg and decided the least they could do was get her to a safe town and continue on their merry way. Micaiah didn't want the blood of anyone on her hands if she could avoid it, even though her tome had been used multiple times and she was no stranger to death.

Micaiah sighed as they continued walking in a sober silence. The Dawn Brigade's only hopes were to lead the Greil Mercenaries around until the thick-headed people realized what was wrong, or to find the lost prince and help him back to his throne. Hopefully both, but at this point Micaiah wasn't counting on any luck. At least we were able to restrain Edward, the positive part of Micaiah muttered, as the mage looked at the myrmidon.

Edward was walking next to Leonardo, but every once in a while he would seemingly 'stumble' and would have to be supported by the archer. It was obviously fake, and Micaiah wondered if Edward just wanted to annoy Leonardo, or if it was something else. The two seemed to be arguing with each other over something, but Micaiah had no idea what that would be. She sighed as she glanced ahead at Nolan, who walked with his ax hoisted over his shoulder.

He had a casual look if you just glanced at him, but he was tense, you could see it around his shoulders and his arms. The mood around them all was at an all-time low, Micaiah thought. She couldn't just blame it on Meg, either. They had all been a little down in the dumps ever since Sothe was captured. Thinking about it, Micaiah gripped her hands together and grit her teeth. Stupid Begnions... They were the _real _enemy here!

Micaiah felt a little bad for Meg, who had thought that her coming from Crimea wouldn't matter to them. And in a perfect world, it wouldn't have. But the fact was they were being chased by the most famous Crimeans on Tellius... Wait! Micaiah looked behind her and walked over to the armored sword-wielder.

"Meg! I need to talk to you." The girl seemed a little scared, so Micaiah quickly added, "It's nothing bad, I just want to ask you about the Greil Mercenaries." Meg frowned in thought as the others (who had looked back when Micaiah spoke) went back to doing what ever they had been doing before. Micaiah ignored them.

"I dunno what else I can tell yah. M' dad never really spoke about 'em, 'cept that they were all real nice and stood for justice 'n all. I know they're led by Ike 'n they rely on a sage whose their planner or something." Meg said, shrugging, looking a little bashful. Micaiah paused. It was just what Sothe had said, the rouge being so obsessed with 'Commander' Ike.

"Did he ever mention weaknesses?" The light mage asked. She had a feeling that the others were listening into their conversation, because they were all slowing down, but Micaiah didn't really mind. Meg paused as she thought.

"Not really... They're all real close, kinda like you guys, y'know? They fight to protect each other and what they hold dear..." Meg told Micaiah, the girl feeling a little useless. Micaiah nodded. If only she was a better tactician... Sothe always came up with the best plans, she was just there. Nolan suddenly stopped and turned towards the two.

"Y'know... It's been bugging me that we haven't seen their paladins again. The sage we hit in the chest, so I'm not really expecting him to appear again. But why the paladins? I'm thinking they must have another injured party, maybe behind them?" Micaiah wasn't a hundred percent sure where he was going with his thoughts.

"So? The main party is still chasing us. We have to stick to Nolan's plan and chase the mercenaries around! What do you think we can do?" Micaiah asked, stopping as well. Edward and Leonardo stopped as well, the archer with his arms crossed across his chest. Edward was slightly leaning against Leonardo, but it was so small Micaiah briefly wondered if she was just seeing it. But then Leo glanced at Edward and poked at him. Micaiah pretended not to notice.

"Well... I know that, but if we managed to sneak past the main party, we could attack the other one!" It sounded good in principal, but in total honesty Micaiah knew they would need a huge streak of luck to take down two paladins.

"Nolan. Two paladins are strong enough, and I doubt their injured would just stand there for us to kill them." Nolan frowned, and Leonardo spoke up.

"It's a good idea, Nolan, but Micaiah is right. It wouldn't work for us. We don't have a ton of experience fighting anyone a ton stronger then us, and that's assuming we get past the main party." Edward nodded, and Nolan shrugged.

"It was just an idea, no sweat... It does stink that we have to run around instead of attacking them..." Micaiah walked up so that she could place a hand on his shoulder, which she did.

"Nolan... Don't worry. One of these days we'll be strong and then we'll be able to protect Daein with everything we've got." Nolan smiled at her and Micaiah smiled back. She hugged the man close to her and when they broke apart she continued to speak. "Now let's break for a little training. I'm sure the Greil Mercenaries will need to catch up, since we're no doubt faster than them." Edward laughed and immediately challenged Leonardo to a fight, to absolutely no one's surprise. Micaiah laughed and quickly found a rock, a safe distance away, to sit on.

This was going to be interesting.

* * *

The worst part about guarding the prince? No coffee. Ok, they didn't have a lot of a lot of things. New clothes were something Zihark could deal without. His trusty sword had yet to break, so no problems with their lack of supplies. But coffee? How did they think a man was going to wake up in the mornings?

"As soon as we get close to an inn, I swear I'm going in to buy a cup of hot coffee." Tauroneo laughed and gently patted the swordmaster on the back, while Jill just laughed. The three of them were sitting around a greatly appreciated fire in the sand, outside the fortress where the prince and co. were no undoubtedly enjoying themselves by sleeping in. Heavily. Zihark had just woken up, to the other's amusement. In contrast, Tauroneo had been up since dawn, swinging his heavy spear around while keeping an eye on the surrounding area. Jill had woken up several hours after dawn.

"I have never understood men and coffee! Its bitter and tart stuff! You sound just like Haar! You can't wake him up in the mornings except for an attack or coffee!" Zihark and Tauroneo exchanged looks and laughed. That sounded like the wyvern rider. He was (in)famous for sleeping every moment he could get. "I'll stick to tea, thank you very much!" Jill continued, after rolling her eyes at the two men. In all honesty she missed seeing Haar. She constantly wondered what the man was doing right then. Probably sleeping, she thought.

"Tea? Eh, that's for people who have something called time to wake up. When you need to wake up at a single moment's notice, you don't have time for tea to brew." Zihark muttered, rubbing his hands together. It wasn't cold anymore, but it hadn't become painfully hot either. Hopefully today would be a relatively cool day, in the desert. Tauroneo laughed.

"You don't have time for coffee to brew either. Thus the life of a man in war must go on, with or without coffee." Jill laughed at the general's comment, though Zihark scowled. It really wasn't his fault he had slept in so late! Ok, maybe it was, but that wouldn't stop him from swearing that you couldn't see if it was midday or nighttime in his room, considering it was underground (along with the rest of the building).

* * *

Edward swung his sword at the archer but, of course, Leonardo had been expecting it. The blond easily dodged and backed up, trying to draw his bow without tripping over a rock. Edward wasn't going to let him get in another shot, not since his shoulder started to _really _ache after an arrow (aimed at the shoulder) flew right over its destined target. So the brunette ran forward, his sword tilted down and behind him until he got close enough. Then, Edward stopped moving and swung his sword upwards at Leonardo, who was forced to drive back or loose his nose.

They both paused for a moment, when a single cut appeared on Leonardo's nose. Edward grinned sheepishly as Leo scowled at the myrmidon.

"Careful where you cut, Ed. We don't have a healer and if I loose an eye I swear to the goddess I will shoot you full of holes." Which was mostly a lie but you never knew what Leo could be capable of. Edward lowered his sword when the sound of clapping reached his ears. Micaiah had stood up and walked towards them, smiling at them both.

"Bravo you two, bravo. You two get some rest while I put Nolan through his paces." The mage said. Nolan, behind her, sitting on a rock with Meg off to the side, raised an eyebrow. Micaiah would have let the two continue, if they had Sothe (who could steal extra vulneraries or herbs) or Laura still (who could heal wounds easily), but they didn't and so they had to be careful not to hurt each other too much while training. Nolan would, no doubt, start pulling his swings as soon as it looked like Micaiah couldn't dodge.

Edward and Leonardo shrugged, the myrmidon helping the archer up while Nolan grabbed his iron ax and walked towards the mostly-dirt spot in the road. Ed and Leo both sat down a ways away from Meg, under the shade of an oak tree with most of its leaves gone. Micaiah choose to use her new thani tome (even though it wasn't too new anymore), so she could get used to the feel of it. Luckily the spells wouldn't get used up too quickly, and she could always get a new one if push came to shove. Besides, it wasn't her only tome.

Nolan motioned for Micaiah to make the first move and the mage nodded. She took a breath and muttered the spell, aiming it at Nolan. The fighter rolled out of the way right in time. Though the spot he had been standing on was now singed with the power of the magic, he was alright. Micaiah knew she wouldn't have time for a second attack, and she carefully watched Nolan run up to her. He swung at her head-on, but Micaiah went to the right and was able to avoid her guts spilling out onto the street. That, needless to say, would have been bad.

Micaiah took another deep breath, let it out, and launched another spell at the brunette. He launched himself to one side as the spell brushed his hand, the man gritting his teeth in response. Micaiah took the time her spell had given her to back away, giving her a little more space to see what was going on. Nolan swung his ax in his injured hand, ensuring that it was alright.

"Do you want to keep going?" Micaiah asked him. Nolan nodded and Micaiah readied herself for another attack. This time the fighter tried to swing at her from the side, but Micaiah was able to see it coming and backed away easily enough, though she would have sworn the ax nearly cut her shirt. Realizing she was nearly off the road, Micaiah side-stepped around Nolan to get to his side, launching a third spell at the fighter.

Nolan was ready for it, and he backed away as the blast hit the ground. Micaiah looked up at him and smiled, though she was breathing heavily (as was Nolan, but his gasps were to a lesser extent). She lowered her spell book, Nolan hoisting his ax over his shoulder in response.

"Call it a tie? We're both tired, and we should get moving again. We can't spend all day having fun, after all." Edward moaned about the idea of walking again, but he was quickly quieted by an elbow to the chest (thanks to Leonardo, who just stood up at Micaiah's words). Nolan nodded, rubbing his beard, somewhat thoughtfully.

"Alright then. A draw it is." No one bothered to bring up the fact that Meg hadn't sparred against anyone.

* * *

Besides the fact that they were now able to travel on real roads (albeit ones made of dirt, sand, and/or mud, and lined with small stones or weeds), the trip hadn't been improving very much. In Soren's opinion, at least, which almost guaranteed that something good had happened to everyone except him. Except, in this case, someone in a town said it might rain and they had been wrong; instead it had gotten even colder, to the point where the sound of running water was slowing down to trickles that managed to break through the freeze.

And Soren, Oscar, Rolf, Rhys, and Titania, all hated the cold to various degrees, or at least had covered themselves up more to various degrees. Gatrie seemed just fine with it, but Soren decided it was the bulk of the man's armor that kept him warm. After all, something that was like an oven in the heat would insulate said heat in the cold. It was the one (and the only) time Soren would ever feel jealous of the blond.

Soren himself had 'solved' the problem by adding roughly three layers of cloaks on top of his usually hot black robes, and by trading out his soft leather boots for tougher (and much thicker) hiking boots, which he had bought thinking of the Daein cold. Soren, however, had turned down a somewhat tempting offer to ride Oscar's horse with Rolf (Oscar offered to get off and lead the horse). Soren decided that snow, a blizzard, or a similar condition, would be required before he went that low. He had to come out of this with some sort of pride.

Rolf was riding behind Oscar, the young man acting like a child as he tightly held onto his older brother, the boy wearing a light green sweater and long brown pants instead of his usual garb. With his hair as bright as it naturally was, the sweater made it slightly painful to look at the archer. Rolf also wore winter gloves instead of his smaller, and less thick, archery gloves.

Oscar looked alright, considering his brother was adding to his body heat by being so clingy. He wore his usual outfit, except that he had a simple brown scarf around his neck and kept rubbing his ears, like he wished he had a hat to keep his ears from going cold. Thinking about it, Soren thought a hat might be somewhat useful, even if his long hair helped more then Oscar's _much_ shorter hair.

Titania was wearing thick riding gloves (brown, contrasting her gold and red armor) and had what Soren recognized as last year's Yuletide gift, a red scarf, around her neck. Her armor seemed to be a little less golden today, Soren noticed, and a little more frozen. Probably water vapor freezing onto the metal, the mage told himself.

In all honesty, he was surprised at the sudden cold snap. While Daein weather was as predictable as the man who once ruled it, it was still fall (in normal places) and snow or frost was early. Maybe it was just what Soren thought it was, a cold snap. Hopefully it was, because if they had to start sharing tents to stay alive Soren swore he would murder the leader of the Dawn Brigade himself.

Rhys muttered something to Titania, and Soren's eyes snapped out of its thinking state and examined the priest. It would do no good if he fell sick, and apparently he thought so too. Above his normal robes he had a thick winter cloak that was Titania's, because of the fact it was massive on his smaller frame. Soren could see a thick winter glove peaking out of the seam where he held the cloak closed. Titania was sitting behind him on the horse, but her arms were easily able to wrap around him and Rhys was no doubt enclosed in a warmth brought on by body heat. That, and his face was nearly as bright a red as his hair.

Soren shivered as a passing breeze managed to get through his extra layers and chill him down to his bones. He grit his teeth and continued to walk. What next, a blizzard? Of course Soren had planned for the occasion, but that didn't mean he wanted to have to use his plan. Obviously.

* * *

"Are you sure there aren't any guides?" Nolan asked again, his words getting past grit teeth. Edward and Leonardo were walking around, trying to find rumors of where the prince might be hiding. Meg was with Micaiah, who was trying to find a place to stay for the night without spending all of their money. And Nolan had been given the great task of finding someone who knew the desert and could (hopefully) lead them around. So far, no luck.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Begnion took most of our men away when they came. Most all of the guides went with 'em." The man was older then Nolan, old enough so the troops left him with the women and children who remained in the town. Nolan sighed. It was apparent that he wasn't going to have any luck talking with this man, at any rate.

"Alright. Good day to you anyway." Nolan said. The man nodded and walked off. Nolan sighed and looked around the shacks and falling down buildings. Everything was in a state of disrepair, he wondered if they should just camp out in the desert to save money. He easily found Edward and Leonardo, the two of them hardly fifty yards around a corner, talking to a young teen with brown hair and a bright blue shirt. Nolan walked up to the three of them.

"So you heard he's in the desert, but you can't tell us where?" Leo was asking. The boy nodded. Edward looked a little annoyed. Nolan stopped next to the group and asked Edward if they had had any luck so far. The myrmidon shook his head.

"Nah. Everyone knows the prince is here, but no one can tell us what part of the desert we should start looking around in." Leonardo looked at Nolan, the boy looking at the three in some kind of awe. Nolan raised an eyebrow at Leo, who shrugged.

"I know who you guys are! You're the Dawn Brigade, aren't yah? I'm Nico!" That would explain it. Nolan nodded and kneeled down so he was at eye level with the boy. "Are you here to help the prince?" Nolan nodded again, and Leonardo kneeled down as well.

"You can't tell anyone we're here though, because we could get in trouble." Leonardo said. Nico nodded, grinning.

"I'm gonna be just like you guys, when I grow up! I'm gonna help save Daein and everything!" Leonardo couldn't help but smile, Nolan ruffling Nico's hair like he supposed a father would. Nolan couldn't help but wonder about the boy's father. Had he been taken? Killed? Maybe his father was some Crimean rat who decided to take advantage over a Daein woman. Either way, most of Daein's troubles could be traced back to Crimea.

"Alright. Now go home or go play with your friends, ok? We've got to go and save Daein." Leonardo said. Behind them, Nolan had the feeling that Edward was frustrated. Of course the reckless young man wouldn't be good at taking things slowly, and it seemed that none of them had managed to get much done. Nico nodded and ran off. Nolan and Leonardo stood up, the fighter stretching his limbs. "So besides the fact that none of us have gotten anything done, should we go find Micaiah? Maybe she had more luck then the rest of us." Leonardo said. Edward nodded, a look on his face that said 'anything but talking to more little kids'.

Luckily, Micaiah had found an inn. Of course, they only had money for two rooms so Nolan found himself setting up a bedroll on the ground anyway. There was no chance in Daein that he was going to try to share a bed with Edward (who kicked) or Leonardo (who woke up at the slightest sound), let alone both of them. And Nolan refused to believe that he snored.

* * *

Ike was glad they had managed to get into a small town that night, right in time to get some hot food (though it lacked Oscar's touch it was both good and looked edible, unlike anything Mist cooked), and enough rooms so they just had to share. Of course Mist and Mia got one room, because Mist was 'too old to share' anymore, and Mia couldn't share with anyone _but _Mist.

This left the three men to figure out who got the two beds and who got to sleep on the floor. Ike was having a harder time then you'd think, trying to convince them that he got a bed because he was their commander. Of course, Shinon never considered Ike in a position of command and Boyd was just Boyd, so that may have had something to do with it. Shinon said that, since he was the oldest, he got a bed. Boyd said that it didn't count if the oldest person was under thirty.

"Hey, I paid for the bloody room, I get a bed!" Ike told them, only to get a glare from Shinon and a puzzled expression from Boyd. Obviously conventional methods (as in, saying things that were both obvious and should have earned him a bed if he was talking with anyone other then Shinon and Boyd) were not going to get him a good place to sleep that night.

"So? If I remember correctly you're supposed to listen to your elders. Well, I'm the oldest in the room so you should all listen to me and give me a bed." The only reason Ike figured Shinon was admitting he was the oldest was because he was talking to Boyd (23) and Ike (22), so it wasn't like he was talking to extremely old people. Though, Ike decided to ignore the fact that Shinon wasn't really that old (30, but Ike doubted Boyd or Shinon knew that Ike knew), and mess with the sniper anyway.

"Oh, yeah. Boyd, aren't we supposed to listen to the elderly or something?" Boyd instantly got what Ike meant. Of course, so did Shinon, but the sniper hid any emotion behind a sneer.

"Yeah, Ike, you're right. So we'll have to let the old man have a bed, I suppose." Ike smirked and he looked at Shinon.

"Any complaints, oh olden one?" Shinon gave Ike an evil eye and Ike could see Boyd struggling not to laugh.

"If I'm so old, then I suppose you think you can beat me?" Which, incidentally, Ike could do, but now would probably be a bad time to start a fight. Shinon pointed a finger towards one bed. "I get one, you two can fight over the other." Shinon walked away and kicked off his boots as he fell onto the bed. Ike glanced at Boyd who shrugged.

"I get it, and you don't get first watch next time we sleep outside?" Ike offered. Boyd smirked, and Ike had a sinking feeling for a second, but Boyd shrugged.

"Alright, then. Hope you like staying up late, Ike." Ike shrugged and sat on the bed, pulling off his boots and lying down. Off to his side, it seemed like Shinon was already asleep. He didn't even let his hair down to sleep? How strange, Ike thought to himself.

* * *

Edward liked sleeping in. Of course he did, but he was known to go to great lengths to get some extra sleep. He would claim he had to go to the bathroom, leaving the washing for the others, and be found asleep in his room when they went looking for him. He would throw anything available at the poor person to wake him up (usually Leonardo, who had developed quick reflexes after the first hit to the head), and that meant _anything_. He had been known to throw pillows, socks, glasses of water, and once he threw a candle. So you could guess his reaction when Leonardo sat on him roughly, to wake him up and avoid a counter attack.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?" Edward screamed, a sudden weight pressing against his chest. He started struggling for breath and shoved Leonardo off as the archer started to laugh, Nolan (standing next to the bed, fully awake) was grinning widely, which was a laugh for the fighter of few words. Leonardo was still laughing when Edward groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. Nolan took a moment to open up the windows. The lack of a blinding light made Edward pretty sure what time it was.

"Micaiah wants us to get an early start. So wake up fully before _she _comes in and wakes you up with a light spell or two." Leonardo explained to him, his laughter dying down. Edward just groaned. Nolan and Leonardo were already suited up, having woken up fifteen minutes ago when Micaiah actually had knocked on their door and told them to wake up. Of course the mage had been able to wake up early in the morning.

"How are yah all ready?" Edward muttered, but it was a question that wasn't supposed to be answered, and he removed the pillow above his head and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He squinted at Nolan and Leonardo. "If this is some kind of joke, I swear I will..." Leo rolled his eyes and threw Edward's clothes (the myrmidon went to sleep in his undergarments, as most people did) at him. Edward wasn't able to catch them and motioned for the two of them to turn around.

"Sleepy, but awake enough to be bashful, eh?" Nolan muttered, smirking, but he walked out of the room, saying that he wanted to talk with Micaiah anyway. Leonardo started turning around, but Edward made some kind of straggled noise and the archer stopped.

"S-Stay, alright? Hold up..." Edward took three seconds to untangle himself out of the sheets, which was probably because he was still mostly asleep. Leonardo watched him with an amused look on his face. Edward practically fell out of the bed and stumble-walked over to the archer and his boyfriend. Leo raised an eyebrow at him.

"You have to get dressed. It can wait." Leonardo was about to leave out the door to get a roll or something to eat, when Edward grabbed his hand. His eyes begged him to stay, and Leonardo slowly let go of the doorknob. "E-Edward?" He asked, hesitantly.

"I don't want you to get hurt. If we find the prince we'll be fighting Begnion and maybe the Greil Mercenaries for Daein again. And that might not be the end of the fighting. I know you act all tough, but you can still get hurt." Edward pushed his head into Leonardo's chest, breathing in and out in perfect harmony. Leonardo felt like it was hard to breathe. "I don't know what I'd be able to do without you. I know how cheesy it sounds, but I really do care for you... Leo." Edward raised his head so that he could look right at Leonardo. "Whatever happens I want you to promise me you'll live." Leonardo gulped in air, and he nodded. He didn't feel like he could speak right then, but he had to try. Edward was giving him a puppy-dog look, after all.

"I-I promise Edward. You have to stay alive, and I'll stay alive. Ok?" Leonardo said, resting his chin on the top of Edward's head. Edward breathed in and pulled himself away from the archer.

"I promise."

* * *

Tormod woke up when Sothe got up, the rouge being as quiet as a whisper, but loud enough for Tormod's ears to hear the cloth of the green-haired man's scarf rub against the tent. It probably helped that it was the first time in a while that he hadn't been with Muarim, the tiger's warm fur brushing against the cold Daein weather.

"Ah! Tormod! What are you doing awake?" The sage was able to grab Sothe's scarf, right before the rouge walked out of the tent. Sothe and Tormod were sharing a tent, as were Aran and Kurth, Vika and Muarim, and Laura, Ilyana, and Aimee. Tormod knew they had been lucky that Laura had brought two tents with her, because his group only had one.

"I could ask the same of yah." Tormod opened his eyes slightly, rubbing one eye with his free hand. Sothe scowled and pulled his scarf away from Tormod's other appendage, but he didn't leave the tent. Instead he sat back down and scowled at the red-head.

"It's my watch! I have to let off whoever is watch right now. You should just go back to sleep." The greenette was lying, because Tormod knew he had had watch the last time. Besides, it was hardly dawn and the sage highly doubted Sothe was giving up sleep for _the watch_ of all things.

"Sure... And I'm a laguz." Sothe scowled deeper and Tormod grinned, sitting up. Their hair was equally messy, but Tormod's fell over his face and he knew it made him look even more like a kid then his (lack of) height.

"Why do you care? I'm perfectly fine now that I've eaten and had something to drink." Tormod made a face and Sothe switched his look to one that resembled pouting. "Just go to sleep Tormod." Tormod was about to complain when his chance was gone; Sothe left the tent with a huff and left Tormod cold, frustrated, and mad.

"Why can't he just accept the fact that he's my friend and I'm trying to make sure he's alright? Arg!" Tormod slammed a fist into the ground of the tent, and promptly swore when he realized it was the rock that had been digging into his back all night long.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Glad for the large amount of replies last chapter... Well, not a hundred percent. Bleh, I don't really want to complain because I'm glad I'm getting reviews, but... Honestly, over 800 hits and twenty something reviews? XD Still love yah guys, for reading and coming back even though I update on a crazy pattern... Little hint, if it isn't up Thursday expect a Saturday or Sunday update instead. Chapter is the shortest yet- I wanted to end it on this certain part... Also, the story is already over 40 thousand words and has eight or so chapters... 0_0

**youdon'tknow: **Micaiah is away from all the streams though, so I don't think Yune (um, assuming you've finished the game) could have warned her about it... Seeing as Sothe got warned by Muarim though, and the GM groups all have healers anyway, it won't make a huge effect on them. The Daein people are another matter, of course. And technically Sothe was the one who talked about Crimea not having the ability to rule another country. Of course, Micaiah seems like the kind of person to not be real prejudiced or anything. And killing Meg would have been a little strange to write, at least for me. Micaiah is also a pretty honorable person... Attacking a sick party wouldn't be like her. And it wouldn't be the smartest thing either, because Soren can come up with some pretty brilliant plans... And now that I think of it, I didn't mention Aimee's little party of merchants... Oh well, I got to that in this chapter anyway. Changing things in AU and AR stories are what make them AU/AR. That's also why I enjoy writing them so much, so I can put my characters through their little moments of crap and hell, depending XD

* * *

Aran and Laura were thinking about leaving the group, Sothe was certain of it. Not like that would be a terrible thing, but the rouge wasn't completely sure that would be safe for the two of them to go off and try to get back to somewhere relatively safe. Though, thinking about it, no where was really safe for someone of Daein citizenship. Sothe sighed as he looked at Tormod. Sothe would have sworn the sage's mouth hadn't stopped moving since everyone had woken up.

"And so we're thinking that if the rumors are true, Micaiah and the rest of your friends are going to be heading to the desert to get the prince, so that's where we'll be going. And I think we might warn a few of the villages about something fishy in the water, but Aran and Laura and Aimee, maybe Ilyana, will have to do that, because no one would take me seriously, Begnion men are looking for you, Sothe, and everyone would avoid or kill Muarim or Vika. Any questions?" Finally, he stopped talking. Sothe was toying with the idea of asking how Tormod how he could talk for so long without taking a breath, but he didn't. Instead, Muarim was the one who asked a question.

"Little One, I do not think that we will be able to stop into towns. It would be most unwise if the soldiers are still looking for us." Tormod scowled at his father's words. It was true, no matter how much Sothe disliked it. Stopping in every town to warn the people about the water would make it so much easier for the Begnion men to find them... And could they trust everyone in the towns? There had to be one or two in every place that was a stinking rat for Begnion.

"I... I guess... I was just hoping that we could help out the people, show 'em that laguz aren't evil and don't eat humans and all." Tormod was frowning and Sothe, who was walking next to him, gently slugged the red-head in the shoulder. "H-Hey! What was that for?" Sothe smirked as Tormod tried to act all tough, but failed. Mainly because he had to look up to even look into Sothe's eyes.

"You were in a slump. You looked like you needed to snap out of it." Behind the two men, Sothe could hear Aimee talking with Ilyana and Laura about some girl thing. Aran was silent, and Vika was walking behind the group, raven eyes looking over them with a bored look in her face. Muarim led the group, his head tilting this way and that as he scented the air.

"I was _not _in a slump! Besides, how is hitting me supposed to snap me out of anything?" Tormod complained, waving his arms around, making it look like he was trying to fly without wings. Sothe knew, from experience, that the best thing to do was to ignore the sage until he calmed down and stopped pestering him. Of course, with Tormod's energy, that could take quite a while. Luckily (somewhat) Muarim took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes.

"I smell a group... They have a heavy scent of metal, but leather and wood... And a horse, like they are pulling a heavy cart or carriage. I think they will not be trouble, but if they catch up to us they could be Begnion soldiers and cause problems. I do not think we are prepared for a fight." Sothe nodded. While he was in much better shape then even a day ago, he still didn't feel like another fight. His knees (and pretty much the rest of his joints and bones) ached just thinking about it.

"You're right. Can you figure out how fast they're going?" Sothe asked. It was unlikely, but if they were close enough for Muarim to smell them, maybe he could hear them? Muarim shrugged and Sothe motioned for the others to go silent and stop moving. They were all silent and still as statues for several moments. Muarim then shook his head and a collective breath was let out by the group.

"I cannot tell." Sothe scowled but didn't say anything. Tormod's scowl made him look like a little boy who's favorite toy had been taken away. "I suggest we wait and see. They are close enough so that we should prepare for an attack." Muarim added. Sothe glanced at Tormod, who shrugged. Not like they had a whole ton left to loose.

"Alright then. Let's get ready for all hell to break loose." Sothe muttered. Tormod laughed and grinned at the rouge.

"Not like things can get a whole lot worse." Then the other group broke out of the trees and came within Sothe's sight. He lowered his weapon and stared.

"W-what the heck are you doing here?" Aimee let out a squeal of happiness as she saw her merchant friends. Jorge shrugged as Aimee tackled him in a hug. His brother laughed.

"We heard about a prison break. We couldn't leave Miss Aimee with a bunch of brutes, could we?" He said. Sothe rolled his eyes. Aran, Laura, and Vika, all looked confused. Kurth was frowning, but didn't say anything.

"Bunch of brutes?" Aran asked. "Are you talking about us?" Sothe couldn't help but grin. This was going to take some explaining.

* * *

Micaiah was looking _way _too happy and awake, considering it was dawn, thought Leonardo. It was easy to wake up to annoy Edward, but he was actually really tired. He had spent the entire night wondering if it would be terrible to put his arms around Edward, or if Nolan would wake up, or if Edward would wake up and get mad. He must have fallen asleep four or five hours before Micaiah gently knocked on their door. Of course Nolan had woken up first, and Leonardo had made a silent prayer of thanks to the goddess; he had chosen to not hold onto the brown-haired myrmidon.

Meg was awake; more so then Edward or Leonardo, but less so then Micaiah. She's probably used to it, though Leonardo. She did say something about living on a farm, after all. Didn't farmers have to wake up really early to plow their fields or something? Nolan was about as awake as the armored sword. He was walking behind everyone else, but he was certainly keeping up.

Edward? He was half-asleep, stumbling along more then he actually walked. He leaned on Leonardo every few feet, and Leonardo knew he had a somewhat permanent scowl on his face. Was Edward determined to make it completely obvious they were more then friends? They weren't amazingly serious, when you thought about it. It wasn't like they went on dates, or kissed every few seconds, and the only reason they shared a bed was because there wasn't really any other choice.

Leonardo sighed. At least Edward's lack of sleep (or, to be more correct, the fact he took forever to wake up) ensured he wouldn't talk throughout the entire search of the desert. Just most of it, the archer told himself. They had reached the edge of the desert several dozen minutes ago, but he still wasn't sure what they were looking for. Saying they were looking for the lost prince was all good in theory, but that made it sound like they knew where they were going. Which would be a complete lie, because they might as well be searching for a certain drop of water in the ocean.

Then, as if a spell had concealed its presence until then, the sight of ruins on the horizon. Which didn't make much sense to Leonardo, until he remembered that they had started climbing a sand hill several minutes ago. Catching up to Micaiah and Meg, who were on the tip of the incline, Leonardo sat down on a rock and started to shake out sand that had gotten into his boots. Edward sat down on the rock, back to back with the blond, and looked like he was trying to go to sleep again. Nolan shook his head, causing Leonardo to look behind him. Edward was practically snoring.

"I want to go check it out." Micaiah said, turning around and looking at everyone. The light mage was definitely awake. Her eyes shone with the kind of determination that made up Micaiah, and her entire body stance screamed awake. Leonardo forced back a yawn as Nolan glanced at Edward. The myrmidon was starting to slide down Leo's back. The archer pushed him back, and the myrmidon woke up with a start.

"Huh? Oh, hey. What's going on? Anything happen?" Leonardo sighed, as did Micaiah. Nolan rolled his eyes (which was unlike him, because the man always seemed too mature for something so kid-ish) and shifted his ax on his shoulder.

"We're thinking of checking out those ruins. Are you sure that's smart, Micaiah? If we get attacked we're not ready for it. Well..." Nolan pointedly didn't look at Edward. "I'm ready. I don't know about the rest of us." Edward rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine! I can fight if I have to!" He would have been much more convincing if he hadn't yawned mere seconds after saying that. Leonardo couldn't resist a trademark jab at Edward's quickly dwindling pride.

"You can fight if fighting involves holding a sword, but you're more likely to fall asleep then hit the enemy right now. Micaiah, maybe we could rest for a little and then go? I don't think it would be smart to let only a few of us go, and if the others aren't really ready to get into a fight..." At this point, Micaiah looked swayed. But then, Meg spoke up.

"Well, I could stay with Edward so he wouldn't be alone. The rest of you can go and look around, and if you need us we can figure out some kind of signal." It sounded like a good idea, Leonardo told himself. Except for one small detail.

"No way am I staying with yah, stinking Crimean-" Edward was cut off and switched to swearing when Leonardo whacked him over the head with his bow. Micaiah frowned at the myrmidon.

"Edward, you're learning to deal with Meg, whether you like it or not. Just because she's Crimean doesn't mean she's evil. Honestly... Meg, are you alright about this?" Micaiah asked. Meg nodded her head eagerly; it was clear she had no second thoughts. Micaiah still looked doubtful, however. Leonardo sighed. Nolan started to speak to Micaiah, about making a signal, so Leonardo took a chance to talk to Edward.

"Hurt Meg and I swear I'll break up with you." He muttered as softly as possible. Edward's face flashed to horror, then pain, then a glare.

"Fine." The brunette muttered. Louder, he continued to speak. "Alright. Just go already. I'll catch up on my sleep or something, I won't hurt a hair on Meg's head." Nolan and Micaiah and Meg all looked over and Micaiah raised an eyebrow at Leonardo.

"You can trust him." Leo said cheerfully, patting Edward's head like he was a puppy. Edward glared and pushed Leonardo's hand away. It was obvious the myrmidon was going to be mad for a while, but Leonardo could deal with that. Better anger then killing another member of their team, just because they were from Crimea. Micaiah nodded slowly.

"Alright. Nolan, Leonardo. Let's get going." She seemed hesitant at first, but her pace increased as she started going down the hill. Of course, that might just be the fact the hill was getting steeper... Nolan followed, axes hanging on his belt, his steel ax over his shoulder. Leonardo sighed and followed, taking one glance back at Edward. True to his word, the brunette was fast asleep. Typical, really.

* * *

Ike was alright with the distance they managed to cover. It had been bloody hell to wake up Boyd in the morning (it wasn't dawn; Ike had learned his lesson) and Shinon was nearly as bad. Ike could only be thankful Mist hadn't been in the room; the amount of profanity made Boyd blush.

While it was possible they weren't gaining on the Dawn Brigade, Ike felt in his gut that they were. He couldn't have explained it to anyone, and it was nothing Soren would have accepted, but he felt like he was getting closer to the target, and closer to the answer to all his questions. Why were the Daein citizens so careful around them? What was Begnion doing? Why did it look like there were so little Daein men left? Surely the war hadn't taken that much of a toll on the population.

Ike sighed and shifted his bag over his shoulder. Ettard was strapped to his back, and while it was hard to get if he needed to fight, the hero was certain that no one would attack them. Even if they did, Boyd and Mia could more then handle themselves. Not to mention Shinon. The sniper was deadly, even at a close range.

Mist was getting better at healing people, certainly. She still made it clear she was learning under Rhys, but Ike knew she down-played her skills a lot. Rhys had talked with Ike and had made an off-hand comment that the girl could heal pretty much any wound, bar massive gushing wounds. Of course, Rhys wouldn't be much use if the wound was too bloody either, so they were about equal in that regard anyway.

Thinking of people's skills getting better, Ike thought of Rolf. The young sniper was still silent about who trained him, if anyone, but Ike was pretty sure Shinon had trained the greenette. Either way, some day Rolf would be able to brag about his skills like Shinon did now. He was young, sure, and Ike knew Oscar had torn himself up when Rolf's arm had been mangled, but that didn't seem to effect Rolf at all. He still wanted to go out and protect his friends, his family.

Ike supposed that was why everyone fought.

* * *

Soren was thankful the cold had disappeared, and that the mild weather had returned. No, he wasn't just thankful. He was full of gratitude, positively beaming (in Soren-terms that meant not glaring) from joy. Bursting from the seams with happiness (thinking slightly more positively), and jumping for joy (walking with a slight spring in his step) it was the most emotion Soren thought he had expressed in a while. And considering it was over the weather, another might say the sage was over reacting. But Soren had spent too many winters freezing in the cold to think that snow was something good, and missing a snowfall was something to be celebrated. Celebrated in Soren-terms, that was.

"Do you think we'll be able to stop in another town and get notes again?" Rolf asked his brother. Oscar was giving his horse a rest, leading it by the lead reins. Titania was leading her horse, which carried a slightly pale Rhys. Soren made a mental note to check up on the priest's condition. If he got sick then Soren would have to make plans for all the possibilities. Usually he would be loathe to do so (even if he was good at it), but now he really had nothing better to do then to lock himself in a room and plan out different situations. Oscar, up ahead, shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe you should ask Soren, since he's planning everything out for us." Soren felt his mood drop, just a little. Rolf was not as annoying as Shinon, but he was about as annoying as Mia. On a scale of one to ten, Soren supposed he would be a seven or eight, depending on Soren's mood. Ten being Shinon or Gatrie. Rolf shrugged.

"I dunno. I can wait, I guess." The sniper didn't feel like talking to Soren, who had to be handled like a hedgehog with metal spikes. Gatrie, who was (for once) walking in the front with the others, laughing and patted Rolf on the back. Of course Rolf was much lighter and ended up rubbing his back tenderly. "Gatrie! Ugh..." Gatrie looked sincerely sorry.

"Oh, I'm sorry Rolf. Yah need a vulnerary or something?" Rolf shook his head; good because Soren would have murdered Gatrie if he tried to use a vulnerary on a bruise. Gatrie shrugged and they all feel into silence as they walked.

Gatrie couldn't help but care for Rolf. After all, thought it was known to no one (including Shinon), except Gatrie, Shinon's happiness had a direct tie to Rolf's condition. If Rolf was happy, Shinon was in a more sociable mood. If Rolf was unhappy, or upset, then Shinon was moody and snapped at people more. He also drunk more. The last few weeks after Rolf's arm was hurt, Shinon was a ticking bomb. Gatrie didn't know that pillows could be so deadly.

* * *

Considering they hadn't known what to look for at first, it was pretty clear they would need a few bags. Because, down in the ruins, there were piles and piles of gold coins. Leonardo could hardly believe his eyes. He didn't think he'd seen so much gold, so much wealth in one place, ever before in his life. Edward would love this place, the archer thought. The brunette would probably mess around and pretend he was a king, or a lord, or just some kind of noble. Rolling in the gold like it was snow; yes that would be Edward. Nolan was handling things better then Leonardo.

"What do you think we can get for it?" Micaiah asked, her voice soft, but it echoed throughout the cavern and Leonardo, nearly on the other side of the giant room, could hear it clearly. Nolan shrugged, picking up some coins in his hands, and letting them slide down onto the ground again.

"A few thousand, easily." The fighter finally said, moving on to a strange glowing stone. He tapped it and then jolted back, as if he had been stunned. Leonardo was running over and drawing his bow before he knew what he was doing. Micaiah ran towards them as well.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Leonardo asked. Nolan nodded and then rubbed his wrist tenderly. He stared at the stone again and tentatively rested his hand on it again. Suddenly, a blue glow surrounded him and then disappeared, all within five seconds.

"It... It healed my cut. I got a cut when I was setting a tent up, the other day. Its gone now." Micaiah's eyes brightened at Nolan's words. Leonardo touched it himself, and the stone glowed and he was enclosed in the same bright light for several seconds, his vision full of spots. Then it was gone, and he felt better. Stronger, healthier.

"Amazing... We should camp out here for a night, maybe. It's sheltered, at the very least." Leonardo muttered, rotating his wrist and arm to make sure it all still worked properly. Micaiah opened her mouth to reply, and she may have, but a sudden roar filled their ears. Leonardo drew his bow, Micaiah opened her tome, and Nolan swung his ax. They all looked for the source, when yowling reached their ears.

"Laguz of some kind! Micaiah, get Meg and Edward down here! We need to get out of here!" Nolan shouted quickly, swinging his ax at a yellow cat laguz that had suddenly leaped at them. It screeched and Leonardo managed to hit it, silencing it. Micaiah nodded.

"Close your eyes!" She shouted, and the two men did as she said. A blinding white light filled the room, blasting up the cracks in the ceiling. It died down and Leonardo was able to see just what they were up against. Tiger and cat laguz, he thought grimly. Hopefully Edward and Meg had seen the sign, and would be coming to help soon. Or else, he added, they might be a little too late.

Micaiah shouted as she hit a leaping cat with a thani, and Leonardo added an arrow for good measure. Nolan swung at a cat, who dodged out of the way. Its claws raked against Nolan's chest, and Leo pushed him back as he aimed, point-blank, at the beast. It died with a howl, and Nolan nodded his thanks.

"Don't worry 'bout it." Leonardo spat out, as he ducked flying tiger claws and tried to shoot an arrow. Nolan swung his ax and knocked it back. Leonardo grinned. "Call it even?" He asked. Nolan smiled and nodded. Micaiah was up at a ravine, shooting spells at anything in her range. Luckily they could only be attacked from one way, Leonardo thought to himself. Or else they'd be doomed.

"Get them! Rip them to shreds!" The voice would have been scarier if it hadn't been followed up by a yawn that Leonardo assumed was supposed to be a roar. Another voice added in with its own fierce warning and war cry.

"Take them down! No human intrudes onto our turf!" This time, the voice was deeper and louder. Leonardo glanced at Nolan and Micaiah, the laguz attacks stopped for the time being. Nolan was looking around, and pointed towards two untransformed laguz, standing in a corner by a few treasure chests.

"We didn't mean to intrude! Please let us leave; we meant no harm!" Micaiah cried out. Both tigers laughed, and the sound echoed somewhat eerily. Leonardo heard the sound of coins falling, and looked behind him. Meg, panting heavily, and Edward, red in the face, had arrived. Luckily no laguz were near them, but they didn't seem to realize what was going on, because Meg waved and Edward called out to them.

"You signaled! What's going-" Edward was cut off by a roar that made Leonardo grimace from the volume. He saw that one of the tiger laguz had transformed.

"I am Pain! This is my brother, Agony! We tolerate no humans on our land! Prepare to die!" Leonardo could see Edward pale as he realized that he would have to fight through multiple cat and tiger laguz to get to where Leonardo was.

"Edward! Hold your position there! We'll survive their attacks and meet up where Pain and Agony are!" Micaiah shouted. Leonardo thought it might be unwise to shout their plan, but they didn't have much choice. Also, it didn't look like either of the main tiger laguz were going to react or change their attacks at all.

"Kill the humans! Kill them all!" Leonardo pulled his bow back and aimed at a cat. It was quick, and had seen the attack coming, but it screeched as its ear was pierced by the arrow. Micaiah shouted out in her magical language, and a beam of light shot out and killed it. Nolan was grappling with a tiger, who roared in the man's face. Nolan grit his teeth and shoved back, managing to push it off him in time to get tackled by a cat laguz. It ripped his shirt open and would have done more then scratch at Nolan's chest if Leo hadn't been able to hit it with a well-placed arrow.

"Nolan; heal yourself up! We can handle it for a moment." Nolan nodded and pressed his hand against the blue stone, a blue light lighting him up.

On the other side of the rift in the ground, Edward and Meg were having their own problems. While the claws and teeth of the transformed laguz couldn't pierce most of Meg's heavy armor, she wasn't fast enough to hit the cats or the faster tigers at all. Edward was busy avoiding attack after attack to make any but the most haphazard attempts at counter attacks, or attacks in general.

Nolan suddenly swung his ax behind Leonardo, at a tiger that was about to leap at the archer's back. Leonardo looked behind him in surprise, having just skimmed a cat's back. The fighter had tied his shirt back together (hopefully they'd be able to get him a new shirt, or else Nolan was going to have some cold nights) and looked fine, if a little tired.

"A-Are you sure you can keep going?" Leonardo asked, panting as a lull in the attacks appeared. Nolan nodded as Micaiah finished off one last cat. Even though there couldn't have been that many of the laguz, it had felt like forever since the battle started. They were in a worse condition then they had thought, Leonardo thought to himself.

"W-We should... Attack the... Other two..." Micaiah was breathing heavily, having spent most of her air with spells and dodging attacks. She had a long cut down her arm that was already pink, thanks to the healing stones. Leonardo realized, with a start, he was in the best condition out of all of them. He was tired, and would enjoy a good long rest, but he hadn't been hit. Nolan had most of the credit for that, however.

"Leo! Are you alright?" Edward called over, waving. His hair was sticking straight up, which looked funny and Leonardo resisted the urge to laugh or smile. The myrmidon looked alright, and the blond decided that Ed's speed and small size had helped him avoid the attacks. Meg waved over as well, and though her armor was scratched up heavily and dented in a few places, she also seemed alright. All in all, they would live.

"Arg! Humans are harder prey then they look, brother!" One of the tigers (they both sounded the same) shouted. He roared as he transformed. His brother already was transformed and growled menacingly. They both sniffed the air, and the latter growled again.

"Grr... I smell others coming. Agony, come! We will finish these humans another day!" Leonardo exchanged glances with both Micaiah and Nolan. Others coming? Surely they weren't Begnion troops. There was no way news had spread that fast about the Dawn Brigade being in town, and surely they wouldn't have had that bad of timing.

Either way, Leonardo forced himself to stand straight and ready another arrow. Edward and Meg ran over, now that the tiger laguz were out of the way, and stood with Nolan in the front. Micaiah was holding her book in slightly trembling hands. Leonardo put one hand on her's and she looked up, startled.

"I... I know we're not as good as Sothe." Leonardo muttered under his breath. None of the others heard, too busy with readying for another fight. Edward swung his blade to keep his hands loose. Nolan flexed his muscles to keep them loose. Meg had a grim expression on her face. "But... I want you to know that we're still family and family fights to the death for each other." Micaiah smiled sadly at Leonardo, whose eyes scanned the room carefully.

"I know, Leo. We are the Dawn Brigade!" She started to shout, and the others looked back at her and smiled, even Meg. Leonardo let a small smile show, and when Edward saw it the myrmidon's smile grew even bigger. "We are the Dawn Brigade, now come out, whoever you are, and state your intentions!" They all fell silent, but a sudden chirping of a bird filled the room instead. "Yune!" Micaiah shouted. The bird had seemingly disappeared the last few days, but reappearing now? Hopefully that was good.

Yune landed on Micaiah's shoulder and chirped again, and suddenly an amazing sound filled the room. It was sorrow and happiness, pain and hate, but love and care at the same time. It was everything beautiful, and good. Everything pure and noble, true and right. It was everything painful, everything ugly and hate-filled, and everything you wanted to get rid of, but just couldn't. It filled the room, a growing crescendo of sound and light. Yes, light. And then, what Leonardo thought must be the most beautiful sight in the world; a figure dressed entirely in white.

It had two pure-white wings, carefully folded against white and silver robes that didn't dirty, even though the ends trailed on the ground. The figure (it couldn't be human, because no human could look like that) was followed by two others. One was a strong looking (and strange looking) laguz with only some kind of pants on, strange tattoos marking against tanned skin. The other was an elegant, but dangerous-looking woman, with a sharp but lazy looking eye, the other hidden under an eye-patch. She was dressed in layers that resembled silks of some kind. The party of three stopped several yards before the Dawn Brigade. The woman looked at them, then at the winged man.

"Rafiel, do you think these are the people your dreams told you to find?" The entire Dawn Brigade seemed to jump, as if not expecting these strange people to be able to speak their same language. Rafiel, the heron (those white wings... He was a heron or an angel, Leonardo decided), looked at them carefully. The Dawn Brigade had all lowered their weapons, and he walked forward casually, as if their meeting had been planned rather then sudden.

"Yes, my queen Nailah. I believe these people are the ones..." He had a sad smile on his face, like something terrible had happened long ago but he was better now. Nailah suddenly ran to his side. It was obvious she did not completely trust what she must have seen as strangers. "You, with the silver hair... I believe we were supposed to meet. Do you also feel this way?" Rafiel asked, suddenly motioning towards Micaiah. All eyes suddenly rested on the light mage. Micaiah looked a little rushed, but she suddenly nodded with a confident look on her face. She stepped forward so that she was within a long arm's length to the heron.

"I... I... My name is Micaiah, and I think that the goddess has destined our meeting." Nailah looked at Micaiah like she was an interesting new toy, but Rafiel smiled a little wider and a little more happy, like Micaiah's words were something he had wanted to hear for quite some time. Behind the two laguz, the man walked forward, and Leonardo realized that he had a thick, bushy tail behind him. He spoke in some strange language and Leonardo looked at Edward. The myrmidon seemed completely enthralled with Rafiel, and Nailah.

"What is it? Hmm, yes, that sounds like a good idea." Nailah said, after listening to the man. She tilted her head towards Rafiel, who seemed to have understood what had been said but hadn't said anything himself. "What do you think, my prince?" Rafiel smiled again, and looking at it made Leo think that all his problems were gone, if just for a moment.

"I love the sound of that idea. Micaiah..." Rafiel looked towards the light mage, his head slightly tilted towards Nailah. "How would you feel if my lady, her faithful servant, and I, chose to travel with you?" Micaiah smiled back.

"I would be delighted."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **So I could come up with a million and three different reasons why I took two weeks to write a chapter of a story, but... I'm just going to claim the whole school thing (-twitch-) and mention that I'm also busy writing a Valentine's Day oneshot. It involves Ike/Soren, Titania/Rhys, and Shinon/Gatrie. It'll be out the 14th, so check it out even if you don't like one of those pairings... Um, sorry? XD Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter. You certainly waited long enough. Also, please don't kill me. I still have to finish the story, after all. Invisible cookies to all my reviews, btw.

**Youdon'tknow: **Too lazy to type out anything here... But I'm going to give you (and anyone who reads this part) a little notice; this story is going to end where the game ends 'Part One'. Not sure about a sequel... The reason? Well, you'll figure it out in this chapter... I hope.

**Note(s): **You've probably all read that I want to shove every character from RD into this story, but I don't want this thing becoming a twenty-chapter giant, so I'm splitting it up into sections. Not sure how long this one will go on, and not sure when I'll throw up the next story. Either way, enjoy this while you got it XD

* * *

Ike couldn't believe that the Dawn Brigade were actually doing something that he had expected; heading into the desert to find the 'lost prince'. He supposed it was the smart thing to do or something, but surely they could have thought that he would head there first? Either way, he was happy to know that, at most, he was two days away from the right desert town. Finally, the Begnion soldiers were doing something somewhat useful. Slightly less good news was that the prison Sothe had been in had been attacked, and all the prisoners freed. Reportedly by a short fire sage, accompanied by two laguz; a raven and a tiger. Ike hoped it wasn't who he thought it was.

With that in mind, Ike also hoped that Soren's group was doing alright. News of a chill on the borders between Crimea and Daein, and deep in Daein itself, had been brought to the hero, who had no idea where his friends were at that moment. With a little luck, they had escaped the cold. Ike knew better then anyone just how much Soren hated the cold. And, in all honesty, Ike couldn't blame him.

They had reached another town, this one slightly bigger then the ones before it, and Mia and Mist had practically begged for a chance to walk around. Ike had been slightly hesitant, before Boyd told him to let the girls have their fun and he remembered that they weren't really _that _far from the Dawn Brigade. So, with a hesitant yes, the girls had sped off and quickly disappeared. They would, no doubt, appear around lunchtime with bags and bags of useless junk of some kind that they would then have to cart around Daein. Ike sighed, just thinking about it.

Boyd had (somehow) manged to convince the girls that he could come along with them. With any luck that meant that they would not buy out the entire town. Of course, Ike never really believed he had any luck and knew there was a bigger chance Boyd would get roped into carrying everything for them, letting them buy even more useless junk. Well, it is their gold, he thought as he walked around the town. He wasn't the kind of person to go shopping, or drink at bars (like he figured Shinon was), nor was he the kind of person to go looking for fights. In other words, Ike wasn't quite sure what to do with the sudden free time. Usually he could find someone to spar with him, but Mia was shopping and Ike didn't feel like bothering the local men (the few Ike had seen looked busy), or the Begnion soldiers. Though, they probably wouldn't have been much of a challenge anyway.

Ike knew he had enough gold to buy a new sword, or maybe a few vulneraries, but he didn't need a new sword and with Mist in the group he didn't really need vulneraries either. He toyed with the idea of getting something to eat, but he wasn't hungry and there didn't appear to be a bakery or similar shop nearby. He also entertained the idea of getting something for Soren, when the groups met up again, but it was more likely then not that the mage would call it a waste of money (though, he would keep whatever thing Ike had given him). So with all of those ideas thrown out the proverbial window in Ike's mind, the hero was, once again, left without any idea of what he was doing.

This is the last time I take a job outside of Crimea, Ike thought to himself as he wandered down the stone-paved streets.

* * *

Boyd knew he had a chance of being used to carry bags, a chance of being dragged into shop after shop of clothes, or of being forced to buy them little bits and bobs that were completely useless and had no real use except as firewood, or decoration. But he volunteered anyway. Why? Because of a certain brunette that happened to be Ike's sister and was completely and totally out of his range. But besides that, he wasn't sure what he was doing, walking around with Mist and Mia and dreading each and every shop. Luckily, the town was only so big and there weren't many places that caught the girls' eyes. Thanking the goddess, Boyd realized Mia was saying something.

"I'm surprised so many stores are closed. I mean, I know they're under Begnion control but they have to have rebuilt a little. I don't even think we got this far, y'know, when we fought. So why is everything so drab? I thought Daein was supposed to have bright coloring and all. Like blues and purples, which are harder to get in Crimea then you'd think." The swordmaster looked at Mist. "What do you think about all this?" She asked.

"Hm? Oh, well, I suppose you're right... It does seem a little strange that everything is so down. The war is over, people!" Mist was fingering the strings of her purse pocket, as if thinking of some idea rather then listening and paying attention to what Mia was saying. Though, Boyd had spaced out for a while too, so he couldn't blame Mist. Mia then started talking to Boyd, and the warrior had to start paying attention or get challenged to a duel of some sort.

"Thanks for coming with us! I thought that we'd need someone to help carry everything, but I guess not, 'cause everything looks so dull and normal! Ugh, I wish that we we all together, then we wouldn't have to worry about things like 'how is Rhys doing?' or 'I wonder if Titania is ok' and all... Do you miss your brothers, Boyd?" The warrior was taken by surprise with the question. He hadn't really thought of them, in all honesty. They had been busy fighting over beds and watches while the other group was trekking after them. Boyd felt a little guilty, until he remembered that Rolf was getting tougher, and Oscar could certainly handle himself. Boyd shrugged as they continued to walk, the Daein citizens giving them room.

"I suppose. Oscar can protect himself and Rolf, and Rolf _is _getting older... Even if he still acts like he's a little kid. If anything I'm just hoping they don't get lost, or freeze or some other crap like that. Soren's smart, I guess. He'll make sure they get through whatever crap life throws at them." Boyd said, shrugging again. Mia laughed at his choice of words.

"Yeah, I guess so. Soren's really smart and all. I hope Rhys doesn't get sick or anything! He's so frail! It stinks he's not my rival... Huh, I wonder how they're doing." Mia thought aloud. This time, Mist laughed.

"You really thought Rhys was your rival, didn't you? Poor guy; he can hardly carry a sword without tripping over it! Still, he's pretty good with tomes, y'know? I wish I had that kind of talent, but I must take after my father in that respect; Titania says he couldn't do anything with a spell book except throw it!" At this, they all laughed. The idea of Greil trying to use a tome was one they hadn't heard before; Elena (that was Ike's mom, Boyd thought) must have tried to teach him. Boyd hadn't heard much about Ike's mother, seeing as she had died before Oscar met up with Greil, but he remembered looking up to Greil and wanting to be able to protect his friends and family like he did.

Greil's death had been a terrible shock for all of them; and Boyd had sworn he would never let anything happen to his brothers. Even if they did annoy the crap out of him, at times.

* * *

Micaiah warmed up to them the quickest, but that was no surprise to anyone. She completely ignored the fact that Nailah had a tail, or that Rafiel had wings. It was just like they were people. Edward was having a little more trouble, telling Leonardo that Volug (who had been the second man) was far too quiet for the myrmidon's taste. Leonardo thought that Edward was just getting paranoid, but it was slightly true; Leo doubted that Volug had said three sentences to anyone, in any language. So yes, out of the Dawn Brigade Micaiah warmed up to the three laguz the quickest. Nolan was dealing with it better then Edward, but he was just his usual, calm self. He seemed to not care who he was fighting by. If Micaiah trusted them, Nolan trusted them. Leonardo felt the same level of indifference. Besides, they were short on allies and even if their allies were of a questionable sort, they were still allies. What was most surprising was Meg's reaction to the laguz.  
The Crimean had taken it with a shock, of course, but after the first few hours she (which she spent glancing at them, but not really saying or doing anything) went up and asked Rafiel what it was like to have wings. That had broken the ice quite well, and the heron seemed to not mind the hail of questions that followed, once Meg gained some bravery. The only strange thing had been when Meg asked what it was like to fly. Nailah, who was always near Rafiel like his own personal guard, had tensed and said that the heron needed to rest so he didn't get sick or tired. And, without protesting, the heron allowed himself to be led over to some rocks underneath a threadbare tree. Micaiah had advised Meg not to peruse the question; Meg had agreed.

Now the Dawn Brigade, plus their growing entourage of allies, were camping out just out of sight from the main village. It was agreed that bringing Nailah and her companions into the village would be too risky, and the laguz didn't mind spending time in the desert. According to Micaiah (who had talked to the three laguz for at least three hours) they lived in the desert anyway, so it was home for them. Edward, of course, thought the whole thing was a giant injustice.

"Why can't we just leave them here?" He muttered, trying to set up his tent while glaring at Nailah. Leonardo rolled his eyes as he helped set up the tent. Nolan and Micaiah had spent a few extra coin to get some more tents. Leonardo had already set his up, because he hadn't been complaining. "I'm just saying, if they live here then why can't we just leave them here and spend another night in a real bed?" Leonardo didn't feel like mentioning that the wolf laguz (he hadn't heard of that branch of the beast family before, but it was clear that Nailah wasn't a cat, tiger, or lion) could probably hear everything Edward was saying.

"We can't risk another night somewhere Begnion troops are crawling. Besides, we actually have separate tents now." Leonardo muttered, glancing at where Micaiah was, once again, talking to the laguz queen. Meg was helping Nolan set up a campfire, so they could eat something relatively warm tonight. With a laguz royal in the party, now they didn't have to worry about a whole lot anymore. Leonardo had heard entire stories about how great the laguz royals could be in a battle. He, personally, hoped he never faced one in battle. Edward made a face.

"I liked sharing a tent with yah." Leonardo sighed and finished setting up the tent. He stood up, taking the chance to check that no one heard them. Nailah was listening to Micaiah explain what their situation was. Leonardo and Edward (hesitantly) walked over.

"Begnion is trying to catch you because you wish to save your people?" Nailah asked, her face calm and cool. Micaiah nodded. "That does not sound right. If what you have told me about your people's condition is true, then I will gladly assist you in liberating your people." Volug, sitting next to Rafiel on a large boulder, said something in what Micaiah had explained was the language all laguz used to use. Leonardo couldn't remember the exact name, though. Nailah and Micaiah listened intently, Micaiah nodding her head in agreement when Volug was done.

"He's right. My queen... If you were to get hurt, helping me... I don't want you to think that you must risk your life fighting for my cause." Nailah snorted, her single visible eye rolling. Rafiel shifted in his seat; it was clear he agreed that Nailah shouldn't get hurt.

"My queen. Perhaps you should listen to Micaiah, if just to be a little cautious?" Nailah looked back at the heron, a slight smirk on her face.

"Rafiel, Micaiah, Volug. Your concern is noted, but unnecessary. I can handle any human that tries to hurt me." Nailah then smiled at Micaiah, though her smile was more sarcastic looking then happy. "Besides, have you not heard of the power of the laguz royals? It is in my blood to be able to fight." Micaiah nodded, smiling back.

"Then it would be an honor to fight by your side, Queen Nailah." Micaiah's smile grew as she continued. "And it would be an honor to call you an ally as we destroy the Begnion threat!" Leonardo laughed and, quite suddenly, all eyes were on him. The archer smiled warmly.

"Any ally against Begnion is a friend of mine." He stood up and crossed his arms against his chest. "'Sides, anyone who Micaiah trusts I trust." Nolan nodded and leaned against his ax.

"I agree with Leonardo. Queen Nailah, Prince Rafiel, it's an honor to call you an ally." Meg nodded as well, and Edward stood up somewhat hesitantly. He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"I've never really been 'round laguz or anything, so I don't really know what to expect... But if Leo and Micaiah trust yah guys, then..." The brunette shrugged. "Well, I suppose that's good enough for me." Leonardo grinned at his boyfriend. Appeared like Edward was growing up; somewhat.

* * *

Ike was sure that no one had expected him to pull them out of the town so quickly, but he was so close to getting the bloody Dawn Brigade; he refused to loose them now that they knew where they were. So, despite Mia and Mist's complaining, he took a more Soren-like stance on the topic. At the very least Mia and Mist hadn't bought out the entire town. Shinon had been the most uncaring, just shrugging when he heard the news. Boyd had seemed a little hesitant, but any complaints he might have voiced were drowned out by Mist's complaints. Mia had seemed liked she would have liked a little rest, but... It was Mia. She didn't back down to anything once she viewed it as a challenge. All Ike had to do was mention that the Dawn Brigade had a myrmidon had silenced her. Mostly.

"I can certainly fight the sword-wielder, right? I mean, Shinon, you won't just snipe him in a heartbeat, right?" Mia was behind Ike, talking to the bored sniper. Ike didn't have to look behind him to know that Shinon shrugged. Boyd and Mist were walking in front of the hero, and Boyd seemed to be attempting a conversation, but it didn't seem to be working.

"So does that mean that you'll try not to kill him? I want to see how well he can fight! Hopefully better then Rhys. He's better at tomes then swords, he should stick with them. Have you ever tried to use a sword, Shinon? I bet you would be alright at it. I mean, you could probably hold a sword, and with a little training-" As funny as Ike thought Mia was being, apparently Shinon did not share his opinion. The sniper must have given the swordmaster a death glare, because she fell silent.

"I use a bow. I do not use a sword. Clear?" He asked her. Mia must have nodded, because nothing else came out of either the sniper's or the swordmaster's mouth. Ike was able to spend time listening to what Boyd was saying to Mist.

"So, um, I was wondering... Erm, do you want to train with your sword next chance? You might be a healer an' all, but if I can't defend yah all the time, what are you gonna do if someone gets past us all?" Boyd asked. Mist smiled at the warrior, but it looked like she was close to laughing.

"I can handle myself, Boyd! Don't worry; I know how to use a sword!" The young woman said. Boyd looked like he turned a light shade of pink, but then Mist laughed. "And you don't need to act so bashful! I don't mind sparring with you anytime, it would be fun!" At this Boyd laughed, but he seemed more relieved then anything.

Ike couldn't help but let a twitch of a smile appear on his face, wondering if Boyd would have to get the whole 'big-brother' talk soon.

* * *

Rhys was having one of his worst waves of the mysterious sickness yet. So bad that Titania refused to move him, and even Soren agreed it would be wise. Rhys's face was about as red as his hair, and sweat dripped off him like mist on a foggy day. Whenever they bundled him up in blankets, he whispered that it was too hot. When they proceeded to take the blankets off, he said it was too cold. In the end, they just covered him with blankets to 'sweat the damn thing out'. Titania was in anguish about his situation, of course.

The paladin wasn't a healer by any means. She could patch up battle wounds with a small field kit she had, but anything besides gashes and scrapes were out of her league. After all, that's what they had Rhys (and Mist) for. That didn't mean the red-head wasn't allowed to try to help. If she wasn't asking Oscar about lunch's soup (made especially with Rhys in mind), she was making sure that Rhys wasn't throwing up (again) and had everything he needed. As Soren thought, she looked like a mother duck watching over her ducklings. Of course, it wouldn't be wise to say that in her hearing distance, for obvious reasons.

Rolf and Gatrie had gone out to get firewood at Soren's request. Rhys was giving the sage enough of a headache, and if the blond man or the green-haired boy started to bother him, he wasn't sure if he could resist sending a wave of wind spells at them. Or maybe, for a little bit of color and for a chance, fire. Of course, if they burnt the forest down that would be bad... But hey, they could worry about that later. Hopefully Gatrie and Rolf would get enough firewood for the night, because Soren loathed the cold, but he also wasn't inclined to carry large sticks around. Mostly because, in all honesty, the sage couldn't carry anything heavier then a tome.

Rhys lay on his cot, feeling completely useless for what felt like the millionth time in his life. Titania was making sure Oscar had plenty of healing herbs in his soup. Rolf (who one could usually count on cheering you up) was off with Gatrie (who was more inclined to hitting on the nearest thing with a chest) on Soren's (who you avoided unless you had to see him) request. Rhys thought back to when he was a child, a time that felt ages ago. He had always wanted to be like the other children, laughing and running around no matter if it was raining, or snowing. But he could hardly run at all, and the other children found it strange that he was so pale, so frail. The boys didn't want to play with him because they thought they might hurt him, like they might hurt the girls in the small town. The girls didn't want to play with him because, well, he was a boy. Even at that time the line was drawn between the two genders, and it was unwise to cross that line.

Rhys recalled his mother who, to cure his boredom, started to teach him how to use a staff. His mother had just enough magic in her to use one, and could make a little money healing day to day wounds. His father was more of an ax-man, like Boyd, and spent his days cutting wood and his nights carving things out of them to sell as little trinkets. Rhys knew his father had been disappointed when he finally had to accept that Rhys was not going to be swinging an ax. His mother had always been there, though, smiling and comforting him when he felt useless and terrible.

Rhys sighed and his glazed-over eyes looked up at the bright blue sky. It was absolutely beautiful, just like the sky back home. Rhys sighed again and wondered how his mother and father were doing, recalling a small house right in Crimea...

* * *

One thing could be said about the laguz, and that was that they could hunt like no one else could. While Leonardo had to go painful steps to not make any noise, it was second-nature to the wolves. And while Leonardo couldn't outrun anything worth catching, and while his arrows couldn't pierce some of the tougher hides, the teeth and claws of the queen and her vassal worked, without fail. The only bad thing was that the desert was completely void of most life, and all they were able to catch were a few rabbits. But, as Micaiah had said, something was certainly better then nothing.

And, despite what Edward thought, the laguz did eat their meat cooked. Though, Leonardo had no doubt that they would be perfectly fine without a fire as well. They had just finished their meal and were now searching the rest of the desert with the noses of the laguz aiding. Nailah was certain they were going in the right way, but she had no way of telling how far they might have to walk; the wind of the desert could spread pretty much anything like wildfire.

"How do we know that they aren't like, in the middle of the desert? I mean, we could walk for ages and not find anything. Sooner or later our water is gonna run out, y'know." Edward muttered to Leonardo. The archer shrugged. Nailah looked back at them, her eyes gleaming from amusement. She probably thought Edward was the funniest thing in her life, Leonardo thought glumly.

"Even if those we are looking for are far in the desert, Volug and I can smell water, and hear it flowing. But I doubt that any humans would step too deeply into the desert. I believe you do not think it is possible to cross it?" At this the queen looked at Micaiah. The light mage nodded, looking back at Edward as they walked on.

"You should have more faith in our allies, Edward! Haven't you heard about their amazing senses? I've heard of birds who can hear a whisper on the horizon, and of beasts that can tell when something bad is going to happen. A fifth sense, is that right?" Now Micaiah looked at Nailah, who nodded but did not say anything. Edward rolled his eyes and muttered, even lower, to Leonardo.

"I bet those are just rumors spread by the laguz to make themselves sound better." Leonardo would have sworn that one of Nailah's ears twitched, but he didn't point that out to Edward. It would be best that the myrmidon not know everything that went on, if just to keep him with some amount of pride. After all, Leonardo knew Edward just liked to talk, and if the only thing he could really talk about was to complain about something... Well, they'd just have to pretend to listen and nod their heads at the right times.

Though, Edward's complaining did have some merit. Leonardo would have sworn that the entire desert looked the same, but for the rolling hills of sand that sometimes appeared out of nowhere, or you were suddenly climbing without realizing it. Such events had happened several times, and the entire journey was making Leonardo quite disoriented. They really were lucky that Nailah and co. had decided to help them out, rather then make them lunch (or dinner).

"Still, we've been walking forever. I swear, we've been passing the same hills for ages. We wouldn't even be able to tell it we _are _going in circles because there's a bloody breeze!" Edward moaned, pretending to whack his head against Leonardo's shoulder. The blond sighed and shrugged and Micaiah, who looked like she wanted Edward to shut up. What was Leonardo supposed to do; kiss him into submission? Though, thinking about it, the two of them weren't on the best of terms at the moment. Leonardo thought that Edward as being a bit unreasonable, wanting everyone to know about them being together, and now of all times. Even if they had been on good terms, Leonardo blushed just thinking about making out with Edward in front of other people. They usually only stole quick kisses behind trees or at night.

"Is it too hot, Leo? Do you want us to rest?" Micaiah had spotted the blush, (who wouldn't have? It had spread across Leo's face like wildfire) but had only though it was due to the heat. Thankfully. Leonardo shook his head, fighting down the red on his face.

"I'm fine. We can keep going." Edward was looking at his boyfriend with a worried expression on his face, but a quick glance from Leonardo and the myrmidon was looking elsewhere. Well, at least it was nice to know he still cared.

"I think we are getting closer to the beorc smell." Nailah said suddenly. Volug started to say something in their weird language, and Nailah nodded. "Volug says they aren't twenty minutes away, if we continue our pace and they do not move. It is strange though, and he has noticed it as well... But there are many more then you led us to believe." Micaiah frowned, puzzled expression on her face at the news.

"What do you mean by that?" Nolan asked from the back, breaking out of his silence. Nailah glanced behind her, almost as if she had forgotten the fighter. She shrugged.

"I was told there would not be many more beorc then your party... But the smell leads me to believe there are at least twenty, maybe more, beorc in a relativity small area. Volug agrees. If I may, perhaps we are not the only ones searching for... 'The Lost Prince'?" Micaiah nodded, her puzzled expression replaced by one of determination.

"I know just who they might be." Her eyes darkened and Leonardo realized it at the same moment the words escaped from her mouth.

"Begnion." They both said at once.

* * *

At any rate, at least Zihark was getting back in touch with his fighting style, he thought rather grimly as he ducked an arrow and sliced at a lance coming his way. Tauroneo was an immoveable rock, as always. Of course the fact that arrows seemingly bounced off him, and that his lance cut through anyone stupid enough to enter its reach, helped. Jill was doing quite well too. She waved her ax and screamed what could only be described as Daein war cries, which Zihark assumed she learned from her father. That man had been amazing on a wyvern, and it seemed that he had passed his talents onto his daughter.

Zihark felt a stinging pain as a lance dug into his right shoulder and was pulled out. The swordmaster threw his sword up in the air and caught it as it landed, running it through the soldier in question, killing him instantly.

"Zihark, do you need a vulnerary?" Jill cried from some distance away. Zihark shook his head as he threw a few herbs into his mouth and chewed on them as he was skimmed by an arrow. He spat the herbs out several seconds later, putting them over his injured shoulder.

"I'm fine! Good to see you're still fighting!" He called back. Tauroneo snorted as another wave of Begnion soldiers were fought back. Jill flew over and landed her mount, trying to conserve its energy as long as possible.

"These men are being sent to their deaths, but eventually they're going to get through." The general muttered. Zihark nodded curtly. Jill was resting on her mount and bit her lip.

"What about Izuka and Pelleas? I believe they both know some magic." Zihark let out a somewhat cynical and dark laugh, startling both Tauroneo and Jill. "What? What's so funny, Zihark?" Jill asked, looking down at him. He ran a bloodied hand through his blue hair, streaking it with blood, as he shook his head.

"Izuka would say he's too important, and we can't risk the prince's life. I find it hard to believe Izuka is trying to help the prince by staying away from his defense." Tauroneo nodded, having come to the same conclusion, while Jill looked like she was pouting.

"Well it was just an idea! Anyway..." She sighed as she looked over at where the Begnion leader, a fire sage, was preparing for the next assault. "At this rate we won't have much time for complaining, I'm afraid. Looks like another wave of troops are coming to meet my ax!" She kicked her wyvern slightly and they rose into the air. Zihark laughed; this time it was pure and real.

"And my sword!" He spun it around in his hand, making sure his limbs were loose and ready for a fight. Tauroneo's eyes sparkled with determination.

"And my lance! Let them meet the wrath of Daein's might!"

* * *

Ike was glad that they had reached the desert town, but now the others were starting to get on his nerves. As in, more then usual. Mist refused to spend another night out in the cold, claiming that she felt like she was going to get sick. Boyd took her side, pointing out that they still had plenty of money for one night at the local inn, even if they didn't share rooms. Shinon just acted like a jerk to Ike, as per usual, but that was to be expected. Meanwhile, Mia took Ike's side on continuing into the desert until night, but only because she wanted a good fight and wasn't going to get it while Ike refused to spar with her (wanting to save his energy for anything they might encounter). In a nutshell, Ike was tired of putting down the law with the others and shouting them down all the time. Ok, maybe Boyd was a year older then Ike. But who was the leader of the Greil Mercenaries? Yeah, not Boyd, Ike!

Also, Ike was just having a headache in general, and its name was 'The Dawn Brigade'. Ike had long since pulled himself out of the fight, realizing Mia really didn't need any help when it came to shouting down Boyd; instead the mercenary thought about the best way to deal with the Dawn Brigade. Ike didn't know if he wanted to kill them all and put their heads on spikes, or if he wanted to know their side of the story. All Ike knew was that something was happening in Daein, and he wasn't sure if it was Begnion's fault or what.

"All right! Listen up you four!" Ike suddenly shouted. And when someone who had grown from five foot three to six foot three in a matter of three years shouted, you listened. Even Shinon cast a bored looking gaze in Ike's general direction, though that didn't mean he was paying any attention. "We'll spend one, and only this one, night here. Mist and Mia will share a room, and I'll see if I can get a room with three beds in it for us guys. In the morning I want no complaints when we wake up and go after these bloody Dawn Brigade people, alright?" Ike had lowered his voice somewhat, so people wouldn't know they were going after the Dawn Brigade. If they refused service to him, then that meant they were spending the night in the desert anyway.

"Alright, boss! We can get some shut eye here, and then go after our targets in the morning, when we're all ready for battle! Good thinking!" Mia said, grinning. Mist looked happy that they'd be in real beds tonight, and Ike was starting to realize if Mist was happy, Boyd was happy. Shinon just shrugged, but Ike had expected that. At least Shinon had stopped calling him names.

"Whatever, pup." Shinon muttered, walking off who-knows where. Ok, he had mostly stopped calling Ike names. It didn't really matter to Ike anymore though. Boyd started walking off too, with Mist, but Ike called out to him and the warrior looked back.

"Yeah, Ike?" Ike motioned for Mist to go ahead.

"I want to talk to you, Boyd. Alone." Boyd had obviously expected this to happen, sooner or later, and he walked over without so much as a complaint.

"Yes, Commander?" He asked. He didn't sound like he was making fun of Ike's position of authority, but more like he didn't want Ike to run him through with Ettard. At that point, Ike wasn't sure if he wanted to kill Boyd or tell him to watch out.

"Boyd... I'm not one to run around topics. Do you like Mist?" Ike asked directly. Boyd blushed a deep red, and Ike supposed that was his answer. "Alright, then... Do you really care for her? I don't know if you've been with any other girls, but this is Mist. My sister. My only family left. And I swear, if she starts worrying herself about you, or if you do anything to her... Well you really are deciding whether you want an early grave or not." Boyd nodded, and he seemed like he had expected it. The warrior swallowed down some of his nerves, preparing to talk.

"I really do like Mist, Ike. And I know she's your sis and everything, but... I was hoping, maybe, you might let me try to get her by myself? She's the nicest, kindest person I've met, and I really don't think I'm going to find someone better then her." Ike's face twitched in a smile.

"Good, because if I see her crying about you I'll stick my sword where the sun don't shine." It was times like that when Ike thought that, maybe, Shinon's ramblings and shouting matches with another were something to hear and not ignore. If just to get a few good threats.

* * *

The Dawn Brigade (without Sothe) and the three laguz they had somewhat randomly added to their group were currently atop a small sand hill, looked down at what could only be described as three Daein people fighting off an entire group of Begnion soldiers. Meg was sitting down on a rock, having had taken the worst of the desert heat out of all of them.

"We have to help them! They must be protecting the prince!" Micaiah instantly said. Leonardo, Edward, and Nolan all nodded. Nailah nodded but looked at Rafiel.

"My prince, I do not think it wise to allow you onto a battle-field such as this." The queen looked at Micaiah. "Perhaps I may be allowed to stay back, and wait with him? I will enter the battle if it appears you need my help, but I can send Volug. He's as good as any beorc fighter, and he can stay in his shifted form all the time, if he needs to." Micaiah nodded her thanks, pulling out her thani tome. Edward readied his iron sword, and Leonardo pulled out an arrow from his quiver. Nolan lifted his ax, as if testing its weight.

"Thank you, My Queen. Any aid is taken with my thanks, and I can assure you that we will win. Meg, stay with them. Your armor will only slow you down, and you look like you are in no condition to fight. Dawn Brigade! Let us fight for Daein, for our freedom, and to defeat the Begnion tyrants that have threatened to take over everything we hold dear!" Micaiah shouted, suddenly shooting one hand in the air, her fingers clenched into a tight fist. Meg nodded, though she looked disappointed she would not be able to help.

"For Daein!" Edward cried out, followed by Leonardo and Nolan. Volug transformed and howled up at the sky. The Begnion soldiers on the ground were taking notice, and several had been sent off to fight them. Micaiah ran forward, followed by Volug, both seemingly having no problems with the sand. Nolan followed them, more sliding then actually running. Edward looked at Leonardo as the two started to run down, the myrmidon's face full of happiness at a chance to show off what he had learned in a real battle.

"Remember what your promised? Well, it's time to keep your word." Edward said to the blond. Leonardo nodded, his face serious in contrast to Edward's.

"You have to stay safe too. I can't always be there to help, even if I try." Edward laughed, and Leonardo knew that nothing he had said really meant anything to Edward. The brunette thought his was bloody immortal, Leonardo thought to himself.

"Love yah too, Leo. Sorry we've been fighting recently." Leonardo nearly tripped over his feet when Edward said that, and he was barely able to keep upright. He nodded, a flustered blush spreading over his face.

"I love you too, Ed. I suppose that your stubbornness is one of the things that make you Edward, but I don't always have to like it." Edward laughed, and suddenly they were in the fighting zone.

Volug was tackling the soldiers and ripping at them with his fangs, his claws. Micaiah was shooting spells at anyone who was injured, but not killed. Nolan had taken an arrow to the shoulder, but he was still swinging his ax like the arrow was little more then a splinter. Leonardo didn't have time to tell Edward to be safe, because the myrmidon ran off to fight a soldier with a lance. Leonardo sighed and shook his head as he shot at a fire mage, who had been aiming at Micaiah. His arrow landed right in the man's shoulder, and the mage let out a half-scream. Volug followed up and soon the man was silent and still.

Edward was able to dodge the lance because of his training with Leonardo's much faster arrows, but the soldier's armor was giving him trouble. While it wasn't anything special, Edward was only able to do a little damage to the person inside of it. Then a light spell his the Begnion man and Edward was nodding his thanks quickly, moving on to a much easier fire mage. Just how many spell-users did this army have?

* * *

Zihark would have sworn he was seeing things, but for the fact that less and less Begnion troops were being thrown at him and the entrance, and more and more were being thrown at this new party. The silver hair... Zihark realized that it was the Dawn Brigade, but what were they doing here? Had they heard the rumors that the prince was in the desert? Apparently so.

Zihark whipped his sword on a spare cloth, Jill landing nearby. Tauroneo was resting his lance in the ground, whipping the sweat off his brow.

"Well, I suppose Izuka has done something useful, even if he didn't really mean it." The general muttered, so soft Zihark wondered if he was supposed to hear it. Jill looked like she was ready for a long nap, and Zihark didn't blame her. The swordmaster had forgotten when they started fighting, but it had been long enough for his arm to grow tired. Or maybe he was just out of it.

They weren't in much condition to help anyone out, nor did they want to leave the entrance to where the prince was hiding, so all they could really do was watch. They appeared to have a laguz with them, but it wasn't one Zihark had seen before. Too large to be a cat, but not muscular enough to be a tiger. And it certainly wasn't a bird or a dragon, because it didn't fly and it used claws and fangs to attack. Their leader, the one with the silver hair, looked adept at casting spells. She shouted them out and they usually always hit. Then there was a fighter, who continued to move on even though he appeared to be bleeding from multiple wounds. Zihark was interested in what appeared to be a somewhat young and inexperienced myrmidon, running around with a blond archer helping him.

Zihark would have sworn that he heard the group was larger, but he shook the feeling off. After all, you could rarely trust rumors. Of course, he was protecting someone thought to only be a rumor so he wasn't sure if he was one to tell another not to listen to one.

Zihark watched with interest as the party fought, and defeated, what was a large Begnion force. They then quickly made their way over to the entrance, and Zihark gripped his sword apprehensively. He doubted they were looking for a fight, but you never knew.

"Who are you?" Tauroneo asked, shifting his position so he would be ready to fight better. Jill hadn't taken to the skies, but she was on alert, Zihark could tell. But neither party looked ready to do anything but rest and heal their wounds. The myrmidon had several cuts on his arms, and one long gash on his face that continued to bleed. Their fighter had pulled an arrow out of his arm, tip and all, but now he was holding back the blood with a few rags in his pocket.

"I am Micaiah, leader of the Dawn Brigade! Are you protecting the Lost Prince?" The girl with silver hair, Micaiah, asked, stepping forward. Tauroneo nodded. Jill's mount roared into the sky, startling them all.

"What's this? On the hill!" Jill cried out, pointing. What reminded Zihark of a heron was walking down the sandy hill, followed by what looked like an extremely large wolf. A figure in armor followed them. The swordmaster realized that must be what the new laguz were, wolves.

"Those are our companions, who didn't wish to fight." Micaiah explained quickly. "Now please, answer my question. Is the prince here?" Zihark could tell Tauroneo was wondering if he could just tell her or what. After all, just about anyone could say they were the Dawn Brigade. At the same time, they had just risked their lives to help out a couple of strangers from Begnion soldiers. Zihark figured they were for real.

"Yes. The prince is inside, waiting for one of us to tell him the fighting is over." Tauroneo glanced at Jill, who nodded. She got off her wyvern and walked inside, but almost instantly came outside. Zihark felt like he was going to drop his sword when Pelleas walked outside, flanked by Izuka and his mother. His mother was, of course, saying he should go inside.

"What if they are still fighting? You mustn't risk your life, my son! Not now!" Pelleas nodded but waved a hand dismissively.

"Mother, the fighting is over, Jill was just about to fetch us, see?" The prince walked past Tauroneo and up front, within a yard's distance of Micaiah. "I am Pelleas, the lost heir of Daein."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Crap I'm crazy. I kept putting this off until I realized it was Saturday. I wanted an update Sunday. Last week... -Is hitting head against keyboard- Anyway, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. Drama is done, so I actually have time after school. On the other hand, basketball is not done. So, yeah... Enjoy? Don't kill me? XD

**Note: **Expect lots of mistakes and typos and similar stuff; I didn't have time to edit.

* * *

At least they had a real place to stay, Leonardo thought. After the whole 'meeting of the prince' thing, it had gone smoothly from there into, 'now what the heck are we going to do?'. Micaiah and Nailah had been thrown into a meeting, while the others (Rafiel, Meg, the assorted members of the Dawn Brigade, Volug, and the three guards of the prince) were either out in guard duty or resting and healing their wounds, with the exception of Tauroneo who was also in the meeting.

Leonardo had decided to stay inside, though Edward had been tripping over himself to talk to Zihark (for the swordmaster's sake, Leo hoped he had plenty of energy and patience). Meg and Jill were off talking about girl-things, or something. Nolan had, apparently, heard about Tauroneo before, and was chatting with the general about Daein's liberation or another, similar, topic. Volug was out on guard duty with the two sword-wielders. This left Leonardo quite bored, wondering if he should go out just to listen to Edward pester Zihark.

"I believe the term is, two gold for your thoughts?" Not having paid attention to where he was going, it appeared Leo had run into Rafiel. The heron was sitting on an over-turned column, in a room that lacked most of its ceiling. The archer looked at the prince and shrugged.

"It's nothing you should be concerned about, prince." Rafiel smiled warmly, and shook his head. Soft golden hair glimmered in midday sunlight. Leonardo knew he looked like a wreck compared to the heron. The fact that everyone did made no difference to Leo's self-esteem.

"On the contrary. If Nailah will be fighting with you, then it is my concern that her companions are in good condition. Your mind... It is full of chaos. Yes, that is it. You... You worry about the myrmidon, Edward." Leonardo thought the others didn't read him like an open book, but listening to Rafiel was starting to destroy that idea. As if reading his mind, Rafiel let out a soft laugh. It was kind, though, like one would give to a child that needed help. "Do not worry. I am a heron; we can sense emotions from most. You care deeply for Edward, yes?" Leonardo shrugged again and Rafiel motioned for him to sit. Leo looked for a pillar and found one, deciding to lean against it.

"He's a good friend. He can be annoying as heck, sometimes, but other times... He's the one who came up with the crazy idea of joining the Dawn Brigade in the first place." The archer admitted. Rafiel nodded, like he had known that.

"Edward also has chaos. He has much confusion, over big things and little things. He worries about things often. But he is happy. He... He is very happy when he is with you." Leonardo tried to feel like that was something he didn't know, forced himself to look surprised, but it was to be expected. Edward had made it very clear his thoughts about the blond.

Leonardo found himself fighting down a blush, thinking about the time in the town. Edward making him promise to stay safe... When was the last time they kissed? The last time they were just alone? In all honesty, it could be understood why Edward just wanted to tell everyone. Then they wouldn't have to have quick pecks behind trees, hushed mutters when Nolan was out on watch. Leonardo noticed that Rafiel was smiling at him, and Leonardo lost his fight against his blush.

"He's my friend, of course he's happy when we're together!" It was a stupid excuse and Leo knew it, but Rafiel didn't seem to care and the silence that stretched between them made Leonardo hope the heron would drop the topic.

The sun seemed to bounce off Rafiel's white clothing, the lines of silver gleaming nearly as bright as his golden-blond hair. His white wings were neatly folded behind his back, soft (or so Leonardo imagined) hands folded just as neatly on his lap. A soft breeze made its way down from the gap in the ceiling and wound its way around the prince. His hair flew up like it was reaching for the sun, and suddenly those bright blue eyes were looking at Leonardo.

"You do not need to hide from me. Love is love, and even the goddess cannot say where it will strike." He rose and Leonardo did as well. "I can only wish you luck; love is as deadly as it is beautiful." Leonardo wasn't sure if he should be furious or what. Instead he just curtly nodded and briskly walked out the door. As soon as he thought he was out of hearing distance, Leonardo let out a muffled sob, pushing his face into his arm.

Rafiel looked where Leo had run off with sadness gleaming in his eyes. Those two would find peace only after a long journey, the heron thought. It was both tragic and amazing. It would be a happy ending; if the two didn't rip each other to shreds.

* * *

Ike was certain that Crimea was the best country on Tellius, and that was before he had to trek across most of Daein, and the desert, to find the Dawn Brigade. Now he was one hundred percent sure that he never wanted to leave Crimea again. Of course, once he voiced his opinion to Mist the young woman had laughed.

"You're a hero through and through, and you won't be able to sit still once this is over. Don't worry, you'll be fine once we aren't in the heat." Then she had frowned, squinting as she looked around. It had been before midday, but the heat was already unbearable. "I miss Crimea too, brother."

Now the heat was about the same, but the walking wasn't getting any easier. Shinon had rolled up his sleeves even more then usual, and looked like he might take his dark green jacket off. Boyd was doing better, since he had no sleeves to begin with, but he was torn between rolling up his pants and suffering from the hot sand, or keeping them down and suffering from just plain heat. Mia had taken off whatever the long cloths on her arms were (Ike figured they had some name, but only to girls) and had pushed her headband up even more to keep her hair out of her face.

Ike himself had decided to roll up the cape and stuff it into his pack, and every once in a while he found himself wiping sweat from his brow. Mist seemed pretty much the same, if just a little less jumpy. They were following up on a Begnion attack somewhere in the desert, where troops had supposedly run into the mysterious prince. Ike, at this point, just wanted to get out of the heat.

"Am I the only person who thinks that we're just a little bit lost?" Shinon muttered under his breath, the heat causing him to be more polite then usual. Boyd rolled his eyes but, when he thought Ike wasn't looking, nodded. Mist shrugged, rubbing her eyes as the heat caused them to tear up. Mia seemed to be the only one who really disagreed with the sniper. Even Ike thought they were going around in circles at this point.

"Come on, Shinon! Have a little faith for once!" Mia snapped back. Her usually cheerful mood had been replaced with one of a rabid dog; come near me and die. The thing was, Mia was a lot more powerful and could be a lot scarier then a rabid dog. The heat appeared to have the same effect on Shinon, because he sneered back at the swordmaster, muttering something under his breath. "Sorry, I didn't hear that. Maybe it's because your voice is about as powerful as a five year-old boy!" Shinon's sneer turned downright dangerous.

"Bring it on, girly! I'll show you why girls usually stay in the back of fights, letting the men do all the work!" Almost instantly Boyd tackled Shinon and Ike lept for Mia. The swordmaster's foot in one hand, his other struggling to pull out Ettard, Ike struggled to not take any sand in his eyes or mouth. Mist was shouting at them all.

"You idiots! How can you be fighting because of some stupid heat! We're all tired and hungry and hot and don't want to be doing this, but we're a family! Family sticks together, no matter what!" Ike knew they looked like quite a scene, most of them buried under a layer of hot sand.

Boyd had brought Shinon to the ground, though the sniper was taller Boyd had sheer strength on his side. Shinon had gone head-first into the ground; luckily he had closed his eyes and his mouth. Now he was shoving Boyd off of him and shaking out his hair, Boyd sitting on a nearby rock and shaking sand out of his boots.

Mia had tripped when Ike had grabbed her foot, and her arms had fallen on the ground first. While she might need a herb or two, to heal some nasty cuts on her arms and legs, she'd be fine. As Ike released his grip on her, she tugged her leg towards her and kneeled on the ground, glaring at it like she wanted to blow up Shinon.

Ike himself lay sprawled on the ground, most of his body lying on the sand. It was getting painfully hot too, and Ike got up and brushed out his hair, golden specks falling slowly.

"Shinon, you know how difficult it was for Mia to learn how to use a sword! You should treat her with more respect and actually be a nice person for once! You're nothing but a rude, selfish, jerk who doesn't care about anyone but yourself! You wouldn't care if we all went up and died, because then you'd be able to do whatever the hell you want without any of us giving a shit!" Mist paused to take a breath, obviously ignoring the stares everyone (even Shinon) was giving her. Mist never, ever, ever swore. Not when they faced the Black Knight, not the time she had tripped and spilled hot water all over the place, not even when Boyd had accidentally ripped her favorite shirt during training.

Ike briefly looked at Boyd, but the warrior was just as stunned as him. If Boyd wasn't the one who taught her how to swear, who was it? Ike almost immediately (silently) laughed at himself. They were mercenaries, they swore all the time. Especially Shinon, who now resembled a fish gasping for the water.

"And Mia! You know Shinon is all bark and no bite!" Ike would disagree, silently fingering the arrow wound from their fight three or so years ago. "You can't just go swinging a sword at every idiot who thinks women can't fight! You have class! You have talent! But you have a huge temper and you can't let something as stupid as that cause you to making stupid acts!" Now Mist turned her temper onto Boyd and Ike, even though both of them felt the entire thing was not their fault.

"What would Father say if he saw you now? He said we always had to stick together, no matter what! And now you are fighting over... Over something as stupid as whether girls can fight or not! Now I'm going to try to find the Dawn Brigade like we came here to do! If you idiots can figure out if you're allies or not in time, then come on!"

With that, Mist stomped off. A silence fell over them as the others all stood up. Ike looked at Boyd, raising an eyebrow.

"Did... Did you know she could get that angry?" The hero asked. Boyd shook his head. Sand rushed out of his hair, and Shinon grit his teeth as he brushed it out of his eyes.

"No... Ike, I have a feeling she can handle herself from now on." Unsurprisingly, Ike thought so too. Maybe he wouldn't need to go big-brother on Boyd anytime; Mist would just shout at the warrior until he made up for whatever stupid thing he had done that time.

* * *

Aran and Laura had left at the nearest village (safely away from Begnion patrols of course). She had wanted to warn them about the streams. He had wanted to stay with her. It didn't really bother Sothe at all. The less people the less chance of them being caught. Of course, with Aimee's merchant friends it wasn't like they were very stealthy anyway. Still, the weapons were welcomed with open arms.

Tormod was now armed with an elfire as well as his fire tome (he had wanted to pay them, but Aimee said being protected was enough for her). While Muarim and Vika didn't need weapons, Sothe was glad he had a steel dagger and knife now. His first dagger was nearly broken, the cracks huge on the blade at this point. One, maybe two more hits left.

Ilyana had a thunder and elthunder tome, but seemed more happy now that they weren't worrying so much about food anymore. She ate more then she slept, Sothe thought. At least Aimee was tolerant of the eating habits of the mage.

They had heard news of the Greil Mercenaries heading towards the desert, and (without much of a plan if they did meet up with the mercenaries) were following along. Tormod thought it was as good a plan as any other.

"So, there's only one town near to the desert to stay at in an actual building, and not be in the desert itself. We'll head there and ask around." Sothe only saw one problem with that, and that was a pretty big problem. Luckily Muarim had thought of it too.

"Little One, Vika and I will not be able to go into the town." Tormod frowned as they walked, the caravan following (slowly) behind. Sothe nodded in agreement.

"Hate to break it to you, but most of use probably shouldn't go into town. Begnion will probably have posters with my face all over Daein at this point, Muarim and Vika are laguz, and you have the brightest red hair I've ever seen. Aimee could go in, with her friends, but if she gets captured again... It would be safest if Aimee and I went in, with different clothing and stuff, of course." Tormod sighed, nodding. Aimee suddenly walked up, tapping Sothe lightly on the shoulder.

"I heard my name, Sothe. Is there something I should know?" Sothe glanced at Muarim, who shrugged. The tiger seemed to agree with Sothe's plan.

"We're trying to figure out what we'll do once we get close to the town. We don't have much of a plan, but you'll probably be going in with another person." Aimee nodded and wagged a finger at Sothe, to the rouge's slight confusion.

"Don't worry about me, Sothe-y. I can handle myself, y'know?" Then she walked back to her friends and said something, causing a burst of laughter. Sothe looked at Tormod, a little stunned.

"Did she just call me... Sothe-y?" Sothe asked. Tormod laughed and had to reach up on his toes to ruffle Sothe's hair, causing the rouge to glare.

"Don't worry about it, Sothe-y!" Sothe sighed. He was not going to live this one down.

* * *

"We have enough strength, now, to push forward with my brilliant plans! We will attack here and here, freeing the near villages and camps. If we have fast enough, then Begnion will never know where we'll strike next!" Izuka then let out an evil laugh, and Micaiah glanced at Pelleas with a questioning gaze. He didn't meet her eyes.

"Huh... That's one of the most dangerous camps, are you sure we can take it?" Tauroneo asked, stepping forward. "We'll be heavily out-numbered at best, and the prisoners won't be helpful until we can get a weapon in their hands." Izuka made some kind of crazy hand motion and rolled his eyes, looking like he was going into a seizure.

"Do you doubt my amazing mind! I have come up with this plan and it is up to you to ensure it works! Anything that goes wrong will be because you cannot uphold your end of the plan!" Izuka shouted, and then ran out with a 'humph'. Pelleas sighed, shaking his head.

"I apologize. Izuka is... a little temperamental." The prince said, taking Izuka's place by the table. Micaiah shrugged and Tauroneo nodded.

"It's nothing, my prince. As long as we take back Daein, then it doesn't matter how many crazy plans we have to go through." Micaiah assured Pelleas. The prince had a look of relief on his face, and nodded, his serious face coming back.

"Alright. I assume that you have a different plan?" Pelleas asked, glancing around the table. Tauroneo nodded and walked forward, pointing towards a camp maybe fifteen miles from the desert town. Micaiah raised an eyebrow.

"There? It's not the best defended, sure, but it's still pretty large. We'd need something like a diversion..." Tauroneo nodded curtly at Micaiah's words.

"I know, but if we get, say, Nailah and I, to attack the front... Well, everyone else can head to the actual prison cells and free the prisoners. We don't have to defeat everyone there, just get the prisoners out of there." Tauroneo pointed out. Nailah was nodding, and the queen stepped forward.

"I saw you fighting against the Begnion soldiers; I am confident that you and I can hold the gate to serve as a distraction." She told the general. Micaiah nodded confidently.

"Alright. Should we get the others and tell them, or do it separately?" Micaiah asked, glancing around. Pelleas shrugged.

"As long as everyone knows what they're doing. Micaiah, I trust you know the strength of your friends. I'll let you pick who to bring, alright?" The prince told the light mage. The girl nodded in response and looked at Tauroneo as he started to speak.

"If I may, could I bring Jill with me and Nailah as well? She could use some experience, and I'd like to keep her in my sight if we're fighting..." Micaiah shrugged as Nailah frowned.

"Jill is the one who rides the wyvern, correct?"

"Yes, why?"

"I do not like those creatures... They are violent where I come from." It was Tauroneo's turn to frown, and Micaiah's smile faded a little.

"I'm sure we can work it out. Is it alright if we go to talk with her?" Tauroneo asked, glancing at Pelleas but returning his gaze to the wolf queen. Said woman shrugged and Pelleas nodded. The laguz and general walked out, leaving Micaiah and the two royal Daeins.

"My prince, may I go tell my friends about our plans?" Pelleas nodded and Micaiah gave him a small bow before turning and leaving.

"Pelleas... My son..." Almedha, who had been quiet throughout the entire meeting, suddenly said. Pelleas nearly jumped from shock before turning towards his mother.

"Yes mother? Does something worry you?" He asked. Almedha frowned at the spot where Micaiah had been standing.

"My son, surely you do not plan on joining the battles? You are too important to risk." Pelleas sighed as his mother placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I have full confidence in whatever Micaiah has planned. She seems more then competent, mother." The prince muttered softly.

"Yes, but I cannot loose you! Not now, not after so long..." His mother replied, just as softly. Pelleas let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. He put a hand on top of Almedha's and nodded.

"I know, mother. I know."

* * *

"Breaking news, the Greil Mercenaries entered the desert to look for the Dawn Brigade and prince!" Tormod shouted, running towards where his friends and Aimee and co. were waiting for him to return with Jorge. The two had gone into the nearest town to get a few more supplies (even though Aimee had more weapons then most armories, they lacked things like new clothes and bread) and for news. While Sothe knew the Greil Mercenaries were ahead of them, he didn't think that Ike would have been able to cover _that _much ground. Sothe jumped to his feet, a half-eaten roll in one hand.

"What? We have to get moving! If Micaiah meets them, then there's no way they'll get out of that fight without some serious injuries. They're good, but they aren't that good!" Sothe started running for the path when Muarim grabbed his scarf. Sothe ended up on the ground, rubbing the back of his head and swearing. Tormod ran over and stood above the rouge, glaring at the green-head.

"Idiot! No matter how fast we run we'll be too late. We have to get moving, but you running off and getting captured because you aren't paying attention won't help anyone! Muarim, can you put out the fire? Vika, can you scout around and see if there are any Begnion patrols out? Thanks!" Jorge had run over to his merchant friends and was quickly explaining things to them.

"What? No one told me we were chasing after Ike! We have to hurry so we can convince him to venture with us!" Aimee shouted, or to Sothe's ears, screeched. Tormod reached a hand down for Sothe to grab, and the two pulled Sothe to his feet.

"Alright, let's get going. But, erm, are you going to finish that?" Tormod pointed at the roll and Sothe threw it at him, the fire sage nearly dropping it. "Thanks! We weren't able to find any good food that was cheap enough to buy a ton of." The boy explained as they started off at a jog on the path, shoving the roll into his mouth. Sothe couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"I swear, you're becoming more like a laguz every day. What next, a tail?" Sothe laughed, ignoring Tormod's killer glare. Muarim, who could hear everything the two said even though he was far behind them, smiled a little to himself. It was good for Tormod to be around people like him, after all.

* * *

Now that Mist had calmed down, and that Shinon and Mia had forgiven each other, things were improving. Slightly, at any rate. That being said, Ike's mood wasn't much better. His friends might not be killing each other, (any more) but they were still lost in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, the Dawn Brigade leads them across most of Daein, all the way to the desert. They must be crazy, Ike thought. If they think the prince is really in the desert...

Personally, Ike didn't know what to believe. He knew Boyd and Shinon were in agreement that the prince was nothing more then 'a stupid myth created by a bunch of old villagers', but Mist said that they never really knew if the late Mad King had ever had a wife (or something similar). Which meant, in other words, it was completely possible. If highly unlikely.

Another question on Ike's mind was what to do if the prince did exist. Ike had long since made up his mind about the Dawn Brigade, and while part of him wanted to cast them into the deepest pit he could find, another part of him knew they were motivated (if not skilled) warriors in general. They deserved at least a little respect. And then came in the part of him that couldn't ignore what Begnion was doing to the country.

But he was going off-topic. The prince, be him reality or a myth, was believed in. That alone would cause some problems; if the Daeins really wanted to revolt it would probably work. Ike wasn't about to point that out to anyone though, least of all Begnion's commander (His name was Jarod, Ike recalled, and he seemed like complete slime).

"Are we certain we're going in the right direction? I mean, all of these hills look the same. I think we'd know if there was the Dawn Brigade around here." Shinon said loudly. This time, it seemed, Mia agreed. The swordmaster nodded and sat down on a rock.

"Ike, maybe we should head back, start again tomorrow. We're not getting anywhere, and if we get in too deep we won't get back before dark." As much as Ike hated to say it, Mia was probably right. Boyd leaned against his ax, Mist leaning against him, and rubbed some sweat off his forehead.

"I'm alright with going on, but I doubt sand'll make a good place to stick a few tents." Boyd said. Ike glanced at Mist, who shrugged, then planted his sword in the sand.

"Alright. At this rate we'll never find the Dawn Brigade unless they set off a fire or something, and I don't really want to spend a night out here. Let's head back and regroup for tomorrow." Hearing Mia's cheers and Boyd's sigh of relief, Ike decided he made the right choice.

* * *

Soren knew that even the best plans sometimes failed because of various reasons. Usually those reasons were at least semi-predictable. Maybe a sudden snow fall would slow your progress, or you'd run out of supplies, or maybe someone would fall sick. Any of that wouldn't have given Soren a headache. But the problem this time? Apparently something was wrong with Oscar's goddess-dammit horse. And the paladin swore up and down he had no idea what was going on.

"Honestly Soren, she's not usually like this!" Soren resisted the urge to say how obvious that statement was. The thing's skittishness could have been blamed on a change in the weather, if Titania's horse was acting odd as well. But it was just Oscar's. And the man had checked for rocks, injuries, everything. The stupid animal just refused to let anyone mount it, including Oscar.

"Fix it! Get Titania to help you, get Gatrie to tackle it until you can find out what's wrong, I don't care! We have to get moving and since we can't just leave it behind we'll have to fix it before we can move on!" Soren let out what might have been an angry sigh and stomped off, though (with his lack of weight) it didn't carry the right amount of deadliness Soren wished.

Oscar sighed and glanced at his fellow paladin, who shrugged. Oscar was sweating from a recent attempt to open his horse's mouth and see if there was something inside of it. After nearly loosing a hand, he had decided that he'd have to assume everything was alright in there.

"I suppose we should make sure he's alright before Soren really looses it." Oscar muttered, seemingly in a bad mood for once. Rolf had gone out to get firewood with Gatrie, and they probably wouldn't be back until another age or so.

"It appears that we'll be camping here for a while, doesn't it?" Titania muttered back, tying her horse's lead to a low-lying tree branch. Oscar nodded and grabbed a few ropes from his bag.

"Or Soren'll loose it and blast us all into oblivion." Oscar said to himself. He was acting different, Titania noticed. But that was to be expected, the man seemed very protective of everything close to him, after all.

"Do you want me to help now, or can I come back later after I make sure Rhys is alright?" Titania asked. Oscar waved her away and started walking towards his horse. Titania had a feeling it would be safer for her to tend to Rhys.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Yes! I'm still alive! Well, most obviously. I'm just saying, again, how it's nice to know no one is chasing after me... Yet XD Anyways, enjoy this longer chapter then the one before it! A gift, for the fact that you all are still reviewing to this story XD And the moment we've all been waiting for... Or at least you all have XD The chapter when Ike runs into the Dawn Brigade! Now go off and read already! And leave some nice reviews, please? XD

* * *

Sothe hated to admit it, but even he could run the whole forty-something miles to the desert town in a single day. He didn't think anyone could, except if they had a horse. That didn't stop him from trying though; in the end Muarim tackled him while Tormod let loose a torrent of words that basically had the same message: stop trying to kill yourself to get to Micaiah.

"This is really good, Aimee. I didn't know you were a cook." So they had stopped maybe twenty-eight (give or take a few) miles away from the desert town. Hopefully, if they continued to run (and something bad, like death or attack, didn't happen) they'd be near enough the town to see if the Dawn Brigade (or Greil Mercenaries) left. Hopefully.

"Thank you! I've picked up a few things here in there, it isn't much really." Aimee remarked, a hand on her lips as she smiled slyly. "Anything for Sothe-y, after all." She added, winking. Tormod laughed and nearly choked on a piece of meat in his stew, Muarim patting his adoptive son's back. Vika smiled slightly and the twins grinned at each other. Mutton was off getting more firewood, as the fire was dying down and their wood wouldn't last the night.

"Ha, ha, haha! Sothe-y, ah! That's not gonna be forgotten by me anytime soon! Sothe-y!" Tormod, of course, found Sothe's new nickname the funniest thing he'd ever heard. Sothe sighed and took another sip of his own stew. It really was good though. He found it hard to believe Aimee had just picked up a few things 'here and there'. Sothe recalled General Ike being into meat, and Aimee's most obvious crush on the man.

"Well it's far better then anything I could ever attempt, so thank you for cooking." Sothe cut in Tormod's laughter, which seemed mirrored in Muarim's small (and slightly weak) smile. The laguz seemed happy that Tormod was happy, Sothe noted.

"Alright then, are we going to decided the watches now or after the meal?" Tormod asked, his serious mood coming back. Sothe swore that Tormod was now prone to sudden mood changes, but he knew to voice his opinion he'd just get cut down in a torrent of words. Tormod was certainly good at speaking rapidly; much faster then you'd think on sight.

"You have all the energy, you can take first watch." Sothe muttered, earning a frown from the fire mage.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm some kind of hyper little kid! Well, just because we can't all grow a foot or two during three years doesn't mean we're not all mature! I vote Mr. Mature over here because, apparently he's better then the rest of us!" Everyone seemed amused by Tormod's crazy antics, and Sothe was reminded of Edward for some reason.

Of course, the two were hyper to a fault and enjoyed bugging someone older then them... Because Sothe was pretty sure he was older then Tormod, whether the mage wanted to admit it or not. Vika looked like she was torn between laughing or just smiling.

"Does Boss just want to share the watch with Sothe? It's safer that way, too, if we have two people keeping an eye out for us." Muarim nodded in agreement with the bird laguz's words.

"Yes, I agree. Little One, it would not be safe for you to be alone at night. We do not know who our fire may attract." The tiger muttered. Sothe shrugged as he finished up the last of his food. Tormod scowled in thought, but then nodded.

"Alrighty then! Sothe and I will take the first watch. Muarim, do you mind sharing with Vika? And then we'll leave it up to you merchants to see who gets to loose some sleep for the good of the group." Aimee nodded and glanced at the twins. Sothe had a feeling that the woman herself wouldn't be on watch.

* * *

They had left during the night. Mostly because the desert heat wouldn't affect them, and a little because they'd rather not be seen. The attack would do best if no one saw them, after all. Though, they weren't stupid enough to attack during the night when the watchmen would be either most alert or completely asleep. Either way wouldn't work properly, Leonardo knew.

Walking around the town was child's play for the laguz, who could smell the trace of people, and Jill, who simply flew up in the air to take a look around. But Jill walked most of the way, leading her wyvern behind her. And the laguz remained untransformed unless they needed their noses for something more delicate to smell.

"You'd think we'd get more sleep, wouldn't yah?" Edward muttered, rubbing his eyes and yawning. The myrmidon had been bugging Zihark all day about learning more of his craft. The swordmaster said he'd try, but only when they actually had time. Which had left the brunette both disappointed and alert for 'when they had time'.

"I suppose so, but at least we're safer now. I mean, more people means less of a chance for a random bandit attack, right?" Leonardo pointed out, holding back a yawn. The archer wasn't paying a hundred percent attention to his boyfriend, looking at the back of Rafiel's robes as the prince walked next to his queen and her servant.

Was the prince listening now? Was he smiling to himself, wondering when the right time would be to tell Micaiah and the others? Leonardo was torn. Did he have the nerve to go up to a laguz royal (even if he was just a heron) and tell him off? Or did he just pray that Rafiel wouldn't tell anyone and would just let the subject drop?

"Leo? Leo? Are you alright?" Leonardo blinked and looked at Edward, who's face was etched in worry. "I thought you had blanked out there, like something was wrong." The teenager admitted. Leonardo scowled and shook his head.

"I'm fine. Just thinking. I mean, we're protecting the prince now! A little step up from raiding Begnion cellars, don't you think?" Leonardo forced himself to smile and Edward laughed. The sound was pure and refreshing; just what Leonardo needed to calm himself down.

"Well that's certainly right. And you two look like you need some rest. Do you want me to ask for a break?" Nolan appeared suddenly behind the two, and Edward practically jumped. Leonardo was startled, but recovered quickly.

"No thanks Nolan, but it's nice to know you're looking out for us, hahaha." Leonardo said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Nolan nodded and smiled.

"Well us Dawn Brigade have to stick together. I didn't come here just for a social visit though; what do you think of the others?" He asked as they walked, motioning behind him. Leonardo looked behind him and saw Zihark chatting with Tauroneo. Ahead, Jill was scouting on her mount.

"I think Zihark should teach me how to use a sword better!" Edward pouted, crossing his arms in a huff. Nolan laughed.

"I find them nice, if not the best of companions." Leonardo cut in, before Edward could go on a long tangent about how Zihark was being mean and how he didn't even need the help. Nolan nodded in agreement.

"I was able to talk to Jill before. She said they all fought in the first war. Against the Mad King." Leo felt his blood run cold, and he looked at Edward.

"That's why the bloody swordmaster won't help me! Turncoats! We're trusting these people?" He cried out. Unluckily for him, Zihark happened to hear him, or the first part at least. The man walked up and raised an eyebrow.

"I couldn't help but over hear a conversation about my friends and me." He said calmly. Leonardo narrowed his eyes.

"We were just wondering why you'd suddenly help Daein, if you helped put her in this state." Edward shot at his fellow sword-wielder. Zihark sighed and looked past the three members of the Dawn Brigade at Jill.

"Ashnard was a tyrant, not a king. I wanted peace; I never thought Daein would be ruled by Begnion, and certainly not like this." Zihark shrugged and focused on Edward, then turned his gaze on Nolan and then Leonardo. "I'm certainly not proud of what I did, but I'd do it again if I had to. Pelleas seems like a good leader, and Micaiah can guide him through all the challenges." The four had stopped walking and Tauroneo now caught up with them.

"Is everything alright here?" He asked, his grip on his lance tightening a little, so it was barely noticeable. Leonardo saw Nolan picking up his ax, and he slowly reached for an arrow. Zihark shook his head and Tauroneo loosened his grip.

"Everything's fine. We're just talking about the last war." Now Micaiah was walking back at them, the entire group not moving. Izuka was watching with Almedha with what looked like a total disinterest, as if the man cared more why they weren't walking. Pelleas looked noticeably worried, but when he started to move forward his mother stopped him and shook her head. Volug and Rafiel both looked at their queen, who shrugged.

"Nolan, Edward, Leonardo. What's going on?" Micaiah asked, folding her arms across her chest. Her tone was more then disapproving, it was disappointed.

"These people were against Daein in the last war! How can we fight with them now?" Edward shouted angrily. Leonardo put a hand on the myrmidon's shoulder and the brunette looked at the blond in surprise. "Leo?" Edward asked cautiously.

"You knew, didn't you, Micaiah? Why didn't you tell us? You know we all lost so much in that war- and to expect us to be on the same side with the victors!" His voice wasn't loud, but it had a little hint of pain underneath it all. Edward glared at the ground. Nolan leaned against his ax, looking as usual, but he was tense; for some reason Leonardo just knew it.

"I didn't know how'd you all take it... You can only take my word that these are good people, and they really regret having had put Daein in this position. But fighting amongst ourselves won't do any good! We have to defeat Begnion, and save Daein! Or would you rather it stay this way?" There was a long silence, broken only by a soft breeze running through the sparse trees along the road.

"Alright. I know I didn't loose all that much during the war except a chance to move higher in the world, but saving Daein would help me out. My family is suffering under all this too. I'll fight with 'em." Nolan said, standing up and putting his ax on his shoulder. Zihark smiled faintly.

"It would be an honor to fight with you." The swordmaster said. Leonardo was the second, and he seemed a little more hesitant, more careful with his words.

"I can't say that I'm pleased with the idea, but I want to defeat Begnion more then anything. I'll fight with you." Leonardo said, looking at Edward. He squeezed the young man's shoulder, just a little, to give him some support. No matter what you pick, I'll always support you, Leonardo thought. Edward scowled.

"I don't like Begnion, but I really don't like people who hurt Daein. And I've lost much more then you have, Nolan, and I know I'm not as mature as you are, Leonardo. But I've been trusting Micaiah's judgment up to here, and I'm still alive. I'm still fighting." Edward took a shaky breath, and Leonardo realized how much the myrmidon probably wanted to attack Zihark right then. In all honesty, Leonardo didn't blame him.

"I'm going wherever Edward goes," Leonardo suddenly found himself saying. He saw a flash of pain in Micaiah's eyes, and an eyebrow raise by both Nolan and Zihark. For some reason, the archer had a feeling Rafiel was smiling.

"Well that settles it." Edward said, speaking much easier now. "I'm stayin'. As long as they can keep their end of the bargain and help us kick Begnion's behind, that is. But as soon as Daein is peaceful... I'm gonna kick your ass in a duel!" Edward pointed at Zihark, who looked both relieved and surprised. Leonardo let out a relieved laugh.

"Well I can't wait to see that battle! But you'll have to train your butt off, Edward!" The arched exclaimed. Micaiah let out a breath that she had been holding in, and Nolan cracked a smile. And then, Leonardo realized that everything was going to be ok.

* * *

"What? You have got to be kidding me!" Ike shouted at Shinon, who had been elected by the others to give Ike the not-so good news. "They left the desert? Well get everyone ready to leave!" Shinon looked completely bored but nodded and left the room (Boyd had already left to get ready and 'help Mist out') before Ike could break anything.

Mia had gone around looking for anyone who could help them in the desert, when she had overheard people talking about a large group that had passed around the town during the night. She had run back, told Mist and Boyd, (who had been talking in the town square) and told Shinon (who had been wandering around town). Now the swordmaster was packing her own things.

Shinon sighed as he left the small inn. It wasn't much; it didn't even have a bar. Still, it at least was a roof over his head and he knew better then to scoff at something like that. He didn't have much to pack. He slung his quiver over his back, strung his bow carefully, and stuffed his extra clothes and what he needed to make arrows and bows in his relatively small pack. It was by mistake that a piece of crumpled paper fell out of his spare arrow heads and onto the ground, catching his quick and nimble eyes. The green orbs soon narrowed; he hadn't packed any paper.

"What the hell?" Shinon muttered to himself. He reached down and picked it up, arrow heads and shafts forgotten on the small bed. He quickly unfolded it and tried to smooth it out. "Dear... Shinon..." He slowly read, eyes narrowing a little more. Really, what was this?

Gatrie could read but his writing was absolutely terrible, and while the writing was messy it wasn't _that _messy. Oscar could probably read and write, but surely a man like that would have better handwriting. Mia never mentioned an education, but Rhys had accidentally let it slip (while Shinon was heavily drunk, so it was possibly the priest never thought the sniper would remember) that she had trouble reading anything other then basic signs. And Shinon didn't know of anyone else to leave him a note, other then Rolf who's arm was obviously unusable.

"I... Wanted to... Give you this... Before you... Leaf? No, left. If you are... Reading this... Without me... Then I guess... You left... Without saying... Goodbye..." Shinon realized what looked like chicken scratch was actually Rolf's handwriting, because there was no way Gatrie or Oscar would leave a note like this. He was tempted to throw it away, to stop reading, but some part of him plowed onwards. "I... Quest? No, guess. I guess that's... Nunthing? He means nothing... Knew? New... Honestly, who taught this kid how to write?" Shinon guessed Oscar had, but writing wasn't anything most of the mercenaries did on a regular basis.

"Shinon? We're leaving soon. Don't be late or Ike'll pitch a fit." Mia's voice drifted through the door and Shinon nearly dropped the note. He recovered quickly.

"Fine, I'll be there soon." Shinon stuffed the note, his materials, and a spare ribbon for his hair into his bag. He slung the bag over his shoulder and scowled as he looked around. Was that everything? Yeah, it was.

Shinon promised himself that he'd finish reading the note as soon as possible, the next chance he got alone. But only so he could ridicule Rolf for his terrible handwriting. Honestly, even the sniper had better handwriting then that.

* * *

"I'm just curious where they could be off too, that's all." Tormod said aloud as the group followed after the Dawn Brigade and, hopefully, the prince. Sothe shrugged.

"I'm betting a Begnion prison camp, or something similar. Micaiah would want to defeat Begnion as quickly a she can, and if they attack before news of the Dawn Brigade meeting up with the prince spreads..." Sothe trailed off. He didn't really need to finish that thought, after all. They were lucky the other group had decided to head towards a camp that was actually only twenty or so miles away from where Sothe's group had been resting. Of course it wasn't planned, but it was still good that the Dawn Brigade hadn't moved too far.

"But what camp, that's what I want to know." Tormod muttered, barely jumping over a log that Sothe had been able to leap over easily. Muarim sniffed the air and nodded at the sky.

"Little One, Vika is returning. She might have some ideas." The laguz told the group. Sothe slowly stopped as Vika landed and transformed back into her regular form. Behind the group, Aimee and her merchant caravan were struggling to keep up. The ground was extremely bumping, and the path looked like it hadn't been used in years.

Sothe was far away enough from Tormod and Muarim and Vika so that he couldn't hear the full of the conversation. He let Tormod run up to him as Muarim gave Vika some water, so the raven laguz could recover a little.

"They're in the forest near the prison camp; Vika thinks they'll wait for a few hours to rest and then attack." Sothe nodded and stopped leaning against a tree, stretching his arms.

"Is there any way we can get there in time to help out?" The rouge asked. The red-haired mage shrugged.

"It really depends on how slow Aimee and her friends go, and how long it takes Micaiah and the prince to attack the prison and win..." Tormod trailed off, not adding that Micaiah might loose even if they got there before the battle was over. Sothe nodded darkly.

"Muarim, Vika! I'm going ahead, alright?" Muarim looked like he wanted to say something to Sothe, maybe tell him to not go too far ahead or to stay safe, but the laguz could see how badly Sothe had to make sure Micaiah was alright. The tiger laguz nodded.

It was like letting a stone fly from a sling; Sothe ran off and left the others watching the puffs of dust that followed him. Tormod sighed and started to run after the greenette.

* * *

It would be too risky to start a fire, or to spar, or to do pretty much anything. Leonardo wasn't quite bored out of his mind, but the archer had a feeling Edward was. After all, the myrmidon wasn't known for his epic-long patience by any means.

Leonardo was going to be completely honest though; he enjoyed having Edward's head on his lap. The two had found a quickly moving stream and were sitting on a large boulder that must have been formed when the river was higher. Leonardo knew he was being pretty stupid. If anyone saw them (with the exception of Rafiel) then their secret would, no doubt, be out. And in all honesty, Leonardo couldn't think of something much worse then that.

"Thank you." Leonardo said suddenly, his fingers weaving through Edward's soft hair. Even though they hadn't really bathed, or even cleaned off, in the past week or so (it had to be more then that though, because it felt like an age), Edward still seemed fine. A little grimy, but fine. Edward shifted himself so he wasn't looking at the water, but he was looking at Leonardo's face.

"For what?" The younger of the two asked. Leonardo's face was calm, passive, like always. He wasn't even looking at Edward, just off into the sky. Edward wondered why Leo's face was always so worried, and wondered when would be the next time he saw the archer smile.

"For staying... I wasn't joking when I said I wanted to stay with you, no matter what." Leonardo sighed after his words, shifting so Edward's head was more comfortable, and looked down at the brunette. His eyes looked tired and a little sad, and worried of course. But Edward could also see that Leonardo was enjoying just being with his boyfriend. That made Edward feel good, deep inside.

"Why though? Why would you leave all your friends, everything you have here... These people are your hopes and dreams Leo... I'm just a rash boy who can't see straight whenever someone is an enemy of Daein... I even attacked Sothe, that one time." Edward felt a hand reach back and rub the spot on his back where Sothe had stabbed. It had been nonlethal of course, but it had driven the message in. Not all people are the same all the time. Sometimes, the best enemies make the best friends.

Leonardo continued to gently rub Edward's back, making small circles as the two started off into another direction. Leonardo looked at the sky, the bright blues mixed with wisps of white. Edward shifted position again, and looked back at the rushing water. It rolled and tumbled over stones, clashing against itself as it moved, only having one purpose in life. To move, to keep moving, to get away from where it was.

"Because you're worth so much to me, I don't know what I'd do without you. Dreams and hopes are good, but what would they be without someone to share them with?" Leonardo suddenly said, pulling his hand back from underneath Edward's shirt. The spot tingled with warmth and comfort, and Edward immediately missed the feeling.

"I... I needed someone to share my dreams and hopes with too... I watched my father join the army and be slaughtered in the first attack. I watched my mother stop having a will to live, and when she took her life and my little sister's... My sis, she had the most amazing hair you'd ever see. Even though my mom's hair was brown, like my dad's, my sis had dark blue hair. Looked like purple, if yah can believe that... I loved them all... My father, my mother, my sister... And Crimea took them all from me." Edward held back a strangled sob, tears starting to form and slowly drip down his face. "All I wanted was revenge... I attacked ever Begnion soldier I could, even though I didn't know how to use a sword at all... I would have died, but..." Edward trailed off and suddenly he wasn't lying down. Suddenly he was being held close by Leo, so close he could feel their hearts beating in perfect harmony.

"I found you and I swore I'd help that young sword-wielder become something great. I didn't have to know your past, I didn't need to know why you were attacking a Begnion patrol, even though you were so outnumbered. I swore I'd never let you leave unless I knew, _knew_ you could handle yourself." Leo rested his head on Edward's shoulder, and Edward felt a mix of tears and a blush on his face. "Then I fell in love with you." Leo softly kissed the side of Edward's throat and Edward felt the complete torrent of tears rush out.

And so he cried. He cried for his father, killed like a chess piece. He cried for his mother, who lost the will to live and wished to join his father. He cried for his little sister, who was killed by an insane mother. And he cried, because after so long he had finally found something worth living for again. And that thing loved him too.

* * *

For someone who had been shot in the chest barely two (maybe not even two, but Oscar had lost track of the days) weeks, Soren was handling the trip quite well. Of course, the sage had nearly lost it when he learned the only thing wrong with Oscar's horse was that it... Well, it had the horse equivalent of constipation. At least Soren hadn't stepped in anything; then the group would have had horse meat for lunch.

As it was, Rolf's arm had been acting up again (though the teen swore up and down that he used his other to carry firewood) and the greenette had been fed a few herbs to keep the pain down. The pain, and pretty much all of his five senses. After Rolf had nearly tripped over a tree root that was plainly in sight, Oscar had stuck him on his horse and the paladin had started to walk.

"What's the latest news anyway? Aren't Ike and co. heading towards the desert?" Gatrie was asking Titania up ahead. The red-head nodded.

"Yes, that's where we're heading. Hopefully they won't be too far ahead; I would like to see them again, see how they're doing." She admitted. Oscar nodded and in agreement, though he wasn't part of the conversation.

"I want to see how Boyd's doing! And Shinon! And Mist!" Rolf called out, smiling and earning a laugh from his older brother.

"I'm sure they're all fine. Boyd can handle himself, as long as he doesn't let his emotions get the better of him. And I'm sure Shinon and Mist miss you too." Titania let out a snort that could have been doubt about Shinon's ability to miss anyone, and Gatrie seemed to agree because the blond frowned.

"Shinon's probably fine. He won't tell anyone if something's wrong, and he'd have to be dying to accept help from Ike... But he's fine. He can handle himself." Gatrie said, looking back at Rolf. The younger of the two nodded.

"Uncle Shinon better be ready, because when I run into him I'm going to show him I can use my arm again!" Rolf waved said limb around, but, even though he was smiling, Oscar could see a flash of pain in his eyes. Oscar stopped the horse and Rolf was forced to hold on with all his strength to avoid getting thrown off.

"Your arm will get better, but not if you stress it. You're lucky you're alive, don't make it so you'll never be able to use your arm again." The party had fallen silent, and even Soren in the back didn't say anything.

"Your brother is right. You're young, and your archery skills are still improving. It would be a shame if you couldn't fight anymore." Soren was the one who cut the silence, and all eyes were on the usually silent member of the group. "Now come on and move! We don't have all day, if you want to see someone in Ike's group then you have to walk." Soren glanced at Rolf, and then Rhys (who was riding Titania's horse), and added, "Or ride."

Oscar sighed but he was still smiling. Some things never changed, he supposed.

* * *

As far as planned attacks go, this had to be the worst one Leonardo had seen in ages. Jill, Tauroneo, and Nailah had all gone to the front gate. Meg and Rafiel had stayed behind in the camp along with the prince and his mother and Izuka, Micaiah deciding they needed some amount of protection. Nolan, Volug, and Zihark were going off one way to open a second, smaller gate so freed prisoners could run out. Edward, Leonardo himself, and Micaiah were trying to free said prisoners. And it was much harder then it had sounded.

"Watch out!" Leonardo cried out as a javelin rushed towards Edward. The myrmidon dodged it easily and scowled at Leo.

"I can handle myself! You get that guy, I'll open the door." Edward said, backing up and breaking open a door with a stolen key. Leonardo shot an arrow at the offending soldier, who fell to the ground after an arrow and a light spell killed him. Leonardo could hear howling and shouting on the other side, but he couldn't see anything.

Leonardo paid for his lull in concentration by being slashed at in the chest, Micaiah having to shove Leo out of the way. Edward came just in time to parry an attack meant to kill Micaiah. Leonardo got to his feet quickly and glanced around.

"Sorry Micaiah!" He said as he shot an arrow at a man with an ax. Micaiah shook her head as she opened another door with yet another stolen key.

"Don't mention it! We're a family after all. You're free! The gate should be open soon, go there and escape. There's a small camp where you can get food and medicine." Micaiah told the soldier inside, who thanked her with all his heart. Zihark suddenly ran up the stairs in front of them, that connected the lower and top levels together.

"Micaiah! Good to see you're still fighting! Volug and Nolan are just cleaning up one last man." Zihark then avoided an arrow from an opposing archer and killed the archer with two attacks. Edward's scowl deepened, though Leonardo wasn't sure if it was because of Zihark's presence or the fact that he was going up against a soldier with a very long lance.

Leo shot an arrow that managed to his said soldier in the arm, and when the deadly lance was lowered just for a moment, Edward struck. He threw his sword in the air, jumped, caught it, and slashed as he landed at the soldier. The Begnion man fell dead, and Edward gave Leo a small, pained, grin.

"Thanks, Leo! I can always count on you!" Leonardo nodded and ran forward as Micaiah defeated an armored lance with her thani spell. Nolan and Volug came up the stairs and ran over.

"The door's all opened, without much trouble. Wasn't very many guarding it, but I think someone called reinforcements." Micaiah nodded as she opened the door the armored lance had been protecting, letting the prisoners out and explaining to them where they could go for safety.

"Alright. Everyone, watch your backs. Leo, Ed, and Nolan, you clear out the last few prisoners and their guards. The rest of you, help me take back this prison." Everyone nodded and ran off to their separate ways, Edward ahead of Nolan and Leonardo as per usual. That's when things started going wrong, of course. Right when the finish line was within feet, the dread trip.

Edward was hit full force by a wind spell that blew him off his feet as he ran, and then an elfire spell charred him until he was just lying there. Leo ran forward and shot an arrow at the wind mage, who was hit and fell to the ground. Nolan ran forward and started attacking the fire mage, and Leonardo was left pulling out a vulnerary and hoping it would be enough.

"Come on, Edward! Drink it! Come on! You can't leave me now, you can't... You can't..." Leonardo poured the drink down Edward's throat, and for a dreadful moment nothing happened. And then, there was a loud coughing sound and Leo found himself with a healing Edward and vulnerary all over himself. Edward was charred, his hair was a mess, and his sword was broken. But he was very much alive.

"Edward!" Nolan cried out, having opened the doors and freed the prisoners. He ran back and grinned, gently picking up the smaller brunette. "We have to get you out of here. Micaiah! I'm leaving with the prisoners and Edward. He's fine, but any more fighting and he won't be." Micaiah stopped fighting a few sages who had suddenly appeared and nodded.

"Alright, but hurry! If you get caught up in a battle with reinforcements..." Micaiah trailed off as Nolan started to run. Leo ran over to Micaiah. "Leo! Can you protect our back? I spotted a few fighters trying to make their ways over here." Leonardo nodded. This was a long battle, but it looked like the Daeins were coming out with a win.

Despite their best attempts, Sothe was well ahead of them as he sprinted into the prison. He was in no condition to fight, and he had what was clearing an arrow sticking out of his arm. But he had reached the prison before the others, and that was all that mattered to him.

"Micaiah! Run! They're here! Tormod and Muarim and Vika were forced to run! Get out of here!" Sothe said, until the flat of Ike's blade knocked him out for good.

"Sothe!" Micaiah screamed. Zihark and Volug, both of whom knew Micaiah was being chased by Ike but not about Sothe's capture, looked completely surprised.

"That's Sothe? Wait, that's General Ike?" Zihark exclaimed, more then a note of surprise in his voice. Micaiah was running down the stairs already, and no one tried to stop her as she pulled Sothe into her arms and glared at Ike.

"Well, this is what you wanted, isn't it? So go ahead and kill me! You have no idea what is going on; we've freed every prisoner in this prison, and soon we'll have an army to fight back with! Begnion won't always be over Daein! The prince has returned!" Ike narrowed his eyes.

Behind him, Boyd and Mia were holding their weapons at the ready. Mist looked like she wanted to heal Sothe, but she didn't want to anger her brother. That, and Boyd was in front of her to stop her from doing something stupid. Shinon had his bow at the ready and his eyes narrowed in on a target. He wasn't sure how good that beast laguz could be, nor was he one hundred percent sure what family it was in, but there was no way he was missing.

"You've led me across Daein, through the desert, and past the most devastated areas by both the war and by Begnion. You shot my best friend, wounded my second-in command, and caused me no end of headaches and nights lacking of sleep." Ike glanced around, his sword on his shoulder. "And now you've brought me here, where a prison that once held Crimeans is now being used to hold its own creators." Ike glanced at a few bodies on the floor, which all wore Begnion armor. "You obviously aren't opposed to using violence, and the last thing the world needs is another war..." Ike lifted his sword up and looked at it with a mixed look. There was a long pause.

"Where's your myrmidon?" Mia suddenly asked. Ike didn't seem bothered by the outburst and Micaiah took several seconds to reply.

"E-Edward? He was attacks by two mages... Nolan took him. W-Why?" Mia frowned and looked like she was pouting.

"And here I was thinking I'd have a new sparring partner... Well, I suppose I can see how well you're doing, Zihark!" The swordmaster glared at the man, who shrugged.

"I've been fine. Keeping up with my sword, keeping away from Begnion patrols. I suppose Tauroneo and Jill will be glad to see you all, if you don't kill us." Zihark lifted his blade and narrowed his eyes. "But I'm not against using force to keep myself alive. Ike! Look around you! Does this look like the Begnion you or I know? The entire place is corrupted, and Micaiah is trying to clear it out!" Ike sighed as he looked at his sword.

"My father had a past of violence behind him, too. He was a great warrior, but even he didn't like war. Neither do I... And I'm going to end the war that hasn't started as soon as possible..." Ike lifted his sword, preparing to strike. Micaiah closed her eyes, holding Sothe in her arms. Zihark started to run forward, shouting at Ike to stop.

Mist buried her face into Boyd, unable to watch the person she hadn't even know be killed right in front of her. Mia looked pained, and she also looked away. She stepped in front of Ike and raised her own sword, ready to stop Zihark. Shinon narrowed his eyes, but it was impossible to tell what he was really feeling. Boyd wondered since when had Ike grown so heartless.

And then the sword fell.

* * *

**A/N 2: **Ok, can I say how much I wanted to stop right there? I enjoy cliff-hangers more then you all probably do. And before you go off and skip this, I'm going to say that this is a pretty important announcement. After this chapter, there is ONE more chapter before the end of 'Mercenaries vs Brigade'. Mostly because, after this chapter it won't really be the Greil Mercenaries chasing after the Dawn Brigade. Not one hundred percent sure what I'm calling the next story, but keep an eye out for it, alright?

Now on with you to finish the chapter!

* * *

Tormod had never talked so much in his life. First there was Ike to shout at, for growing so fast that he looked years older (no one bothered to remind Tormod that it _had _been three years). Next it was Jill, Zihark, and Tauroneo, all of which seemed a little tired of his constant chattering but didn't tell him off. Then it was Sothe, to shout at for risking his life and 'see where that got you'. Next it was back to shouting at Ike for growing too tall and simply growing. Lastly, it was to Micaiah who was what Tormod was calling 'Sothe's love interest'. After all, the fire sage had to make sure that Sothe's girl deserved him.

Mist had easily healed the multiple wounds of both the prisoners and the Dawn Brigade. Edward was well on his way to healing, and Sothe would be fine within a few days. Ike made plans to occupy the prison for both space and shelter for at least three days. Three days so the second group, consisting of the rest of the Greil Mercenaries, could hopefully hear what had happened.

Three days for the perfectly fine, if a little tired, Leonardo to train. But training by yourself wasn't nearly as good as training with another, and Edward was going to need all three days to get into a good condition. Nolan was suited for the kind of training Leo did, and Sothe and Micaiah were going to be spending the next few days catching up with one another.

Leonardo knew Zihark and the Greil Mercenaries girl, Mia, were going to train together. Boyd and Mist (Leo was pretty sure Boyd was the fighter, and he knew Mist was their healer) were training together, because apparently Mist could use swords. Ike seemed too daunting to ask, and considering that Leo had spent the past week or so hating Ike, he wasn't sure it would be smart to train with the man anyway.

"You're Shinon, right? The sniper?" Leonardo asked. Considering the red-head was going through his arrows, putting aside the ones that needed to be fixed, Leonardo was certain he was talking to the right person.

"Who's asking?" Shinon muttered, glaring at an arrow. He didn't really want to talk with anyone right then, even if they were a fellow bow-wielder.

"Leonardo. I'm going to be frank. I don't know you very well," Or at all, Leonardo thought, "and we've probably spent the last week hating each other. I'm not as good with a bow as you, and you seem like the kind of person who doesn't like spending time with others. But I need to get better at using a bow, and you're the only other person who uses one that isn't on Begnion's side." Shinon was smart, Leonardo noticed, and just as anti-social as the blond had thought, because Shinon scowled and practically threw an arrow in the 'to be fixed' pile. This continued for several moments, Shinon looking at an arrow and Leonardo waiting for an answer.

"Aren't you going away? I have better things to do then teach someone how to use a bow." Shinon remarked coldly, not even looking at Leonardo. Shinon mentally swore. That wasn't true. He had enough time to teach Rolf, a complete and total novice who didn't like hard work, how to use a bow. No doubt it would be a million times easier to teach Leonardo a few new things, even if it was only three days. No, wait. Good ol' Ike was volunteering to help out with Daein's freedom, to end the war faster. Shinon had a feeling he'd be seeing a lot of Leonardo in the next few weeks.

"I know how to use one, I just need someone to help show me what I'm doing wrong and right. I taught myself how to use a bow, it can't be much harder then that." Shinon's scowl deepened. Damn him... Even though Shinon didn't want to admit it, helping Leo would take his mind off other things. Like, say, how Rolf and Gatrie were doing.

"How much money do you have?" Shinon suddenly asked. Leo was startled by the question, but shrugged soon after, not really thinking about it.

"Not a whole lot. We don't get paid to fight Begnion, and neither do you now that you aren't working for anyone." That was another thing Shinon was annoyed at. Ike was going to do the whole thing _for free_. Even Crimea hadn't gotten that. Of course, now that they had met up with Aimee they'd be able to get weapons on Dawn Brigade credit...

"Exactly. How about, let's say, one thousand gold."

"One thousand? For three days? I'd be lucky if I got one hundred by the end of the war!"

"Not three days. As long as it takes me to get you a sniper, or the end of the war. You don't have to give me a single penny until then. But, if you don't pay me... Well, I'm pretty sure the master is always going to be able to best the student." Shinon said, picking up another arrow out of his quiver.

Leonardo thought about it. On one hand, one thousand gold really was insane. Leo doubted he had fifty gold right then, and he wasn't about to go begging for loose change. On the other hand, the end of the war would be at least three weeks he guessed. And if he managed to become a sniper... Well, a thousand gold was actually pretty good for a good tutor. Leonardo, like all archers and aspiring snipers in Daein, had heard about Shinon. Mostly because the man had joined, and then left, the Daein army, but every agreed he was one of the best. Or the best, depending on who you asked.

"You've got five seconds, or I'm picking up my things and leaving you to think." Shinon added. "One..." Leonardo sighed. A thousand gold, assuming they won, was possible. Daein's wealth wasn't gone, it was just locked up. "Three..." And Micaiah was a good friend, no doubt she'd get paid (along with anyone else who helped out in the war) by the prince... And is Micaiah was paid, then she'd surely give some to her friends...

"Alright! You get your freaky deal!" Shinon gave Leonardo a smile akin to one a predator would give its prey.

"Nice doing business with you. Fifteen minutes, outside, all your equipment. And you tell no one, and if anyone asks you're paying me." Shinon grabbed his arrows, putting the good ones in his quiver and holding onto the others, and walked off.

Leonardo couldn't help but wonder why the hell Shinon seemed so against being with other people, and what was up his ass.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **So all good things must come to an end. As such, this is the last chapter of 'Mercenaries vs Brigade'. So far it has received good reviews by all you loyal readers, who (apparently) have been spending hours reading my story. I can only thank you for also, for the most part, leaving a review. This was originally something 'youdon'tknow' came up with (who now goes by 'youknownow') who wanted someone to write it. Having no other ideas, I took it as a challenge. I did not mean for it to become something quite this large (over 90 pages in word)... But it has been fun. This chapter more or less brings things to a close...

So, erm, some good and bad news. The good news is that you've all managed to squeeze out another Fire Emblem story from me. The bad news is that it may not be the sequel to this story... Nah, I'm between three different stories, not to mention I should really start working on the other stories that have been pushed to the side for this one... So it'll be up in about a week or two, I hope/think, so keep an eye out for it!

Something I've been trying to start is dedicating the last chapter to someone, even if the whole story is thanks to youdon'tknow (who I'm going to call by that name because of sheer habit). So who is it this time? Well, they've supported me throughout this story and another (Dueling at Dawn, anyone?) and I haven't really been able to say how much they've helped me (sorry pinkdiamond, you had your moment XD). So this one is a shout-out for Rapis-Razuri, everyone give her a round of applause! XD

Alright, and now back to the story... Enjoy!

* * *

Leonardo was nowhere Edward could find him, and Nolan was off comparing axes or something with the Greil Mercenaries person. Micaiah was busy filling in Sothe, Ike, and Pelleas about what was going on, and Edward didn't feel like talking to anyone or really doing anything. So he grabbed his sword (noting he'd have to get a new one soon) and headed outside towards a clearing he'd seen outside, perfect for training with a sword.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn't the only person who thought that. At first he mistook it for Zihark. He saw a flash of long hair and, though it was darker then Zihark's usually was, assumed it was that turn-coat. He could deal with that man, as long as he kept his distance. But then he heard a voice that was definitely female, and definitely _not _Zihark.

"HYA! HA! HYYYYA!" The shouting might have tipped him off, somewhat. Edward had half a mind to turn around and leave. After all, he didn't want to see any Greil Mercenary, whether they were allies or not. They still had destroyed Daein, along with most of his purpose for living. But Edward didn't want to fall behind in his training, and at the very least he'd be able to see how she fought. So he walked into the clearing and promptly dropped his sword.

"S-Sister?" Edward gasped, the woman turning towards him, a goofy smile on her face. It dropped as she saw who he was, but then perked right back up. She laughed and rubbed the back of her head. For some reason, she found the entire thing funny.

"Nope, sorry! You must have though I was someone else. You're one of the Dawn Brigade, right?" She asked. She put her sword back on her belt and walked forward, extending an arm. "Name's Mia, I'm the swordmaster of the Greil Mercs. I may not be the best, but you still shouldn't underestimate me." She added as an after thought. Edward scowled and crossed his arms, not shaking Mia's hand.

"Edward, of the Dawn Brigade, Daein through-and-through. And I'm gonna be the best trueblade in the world, so yah better watch out." He said through practically grit teeth. Mia's smile dropped a little bit and she put her arm down.

"Alright then. I don't suppose you want to spar. You'd get better, quicker, that way." Mia offered, pulling her sword out. Edward kept scowling, but he grabbed up his sword and looked at Mia. She was easily a swordmaster, and he would be a flea compared to her. So why bother? And besides, there was the small fact that she looked like his sister, only older.

"Nah... I can practice by myself." He muttered, walking around her until she blocked his walk with her sword. "W-What the hell? Do you want to pick a fight with me?" Edward asked, glaring at Mia. The swordmaster sighed and pulled her sword back.

"You look like you're thinking, and thinking isn't good on a battle-field. Not for us, at any rate. Come on, spar a little and get out all those anti-mercenary feelings out?" She asked again. Edward sighed. It looked like this person wasn't going to take 'no' as an answer.

"Fine. You can attack first." Edward muttered walking to the other side of the clearing. It wasn't a large clearing, by any measure, but it would do. Mia nodded and swung her sword in her hand.

"Don't go easy on me, you'll regret it!" She called out, before she dashed forward. Quick as lightning, Edward found himself blocking attack after attack, finally managing to get one strike in that was easily dodged. Mia jumped back and Edward lunged forward, but he lost his balance and Mia easily pinned him with her sword.

"One for me. Again!" Feeling that he didn't have much of a choice in the matter, Edward sighed and stood up, dusting himself off. He readied himself as Mia shouted, "HYA!" and lept forward. Another set of lightning quick attacks, and Edward wasn't able to get an attack in this time. When she jumped back, Edward jumped forward and their swords met with the clang only steel could make. With a better grip and his jump behind him, Edward was able to force Mia down a little, but then she disengaged and he fell forward.

"Ah!" He shouted as Mia dug her sword into his back. "That's my back! I need that!" The brunette found himself saying.

"_Brother! Brother! Come play with me!" Edward laughed and grabbed her into his arms, their laughter mingling with the sound of birds and the soft wind. _

"_Alright, alright! I'll play!" He was still laughing when she got onto his back and grabbed onto his shirt, tugging it. _

"_Horse! I wanna play horse!" Edward laughed and let out a snort and patted the ground with his hands, like he was a horse with hooves. Her laughter was so pure, so clear, it made him feel like _he _was the three year-old, and not her._

"_Ouch! That's my back! I need that!"_

"Hey, are you alright?" Mia asked, looking at Edward. He had rolled onto his back and his eyes had suddenly lost focus. Edward shook his head as he sat up. He was still in a clearing with Mia, that Greil Mercenaries person. "You just blanked out right there. Anything you wanna talk 'bout?" She asked, looking worried. Edward scowled.

"Not to someone like you." He grabbed his sword off the ground where it had been dropped, standing up slowly. "You can have fun sparring by yourself." He muttered, walking off. He didn't look back, so he didn't see the truly sincere look of worry on her face. He didn't think she'd care at all.

After all, she was one of the people to help put _them _in the dirt.

* * *

"Bah. You're too slow. Watch." Shinon quickly shot off three arrows, easily within five seconds. Leonardo's best speed was nowhere near that speed; it was little wondered why Shinon already had a headache and was wondering why he agreed to help out in the first place. Oh yeah, he had gotten bored. "You have to fire as many arrows as you can, but fire them well! Firing off badly could kill yourself, or your friends. What are the three most important things?" Of course, Leonardo was getting a little tired of being called incompetent.

"Accuracy, speed, deadliness." He personally considered deadliness to be something that was affected by your speed and accuracy, but he didn't feel like telling Shinon that. Besides the height difference of three inches (Shinon was tall, Leonardo had quickly realized) there was the obvious differences between how they simply acted.

Shinon was cool, cocky, not afraid to get into fights. In fact, it was like he wanted to get into fights, just to show people what he could do. The only thing was, his attitude could be backed up by his ability. He was maybe the best archer Leonardo had ever seen.

On the other hand, you had Leo. He wasn't as calm as he looked, nor was he even as mature as he wished he was. While he was certainly not at Edward's level, sometimes he just wanted to punch someone to get his feelings out. But he always held back, because he knew he'd be out of his range and just get his butt kicked by whoever happened to be in swinging range...

"Ah! What was that for?" Leonardo snapped at Shinon. His fellow archer rolled his eyes and wondered (again) why he was doing this. Oh yeah, nothing better to do.

"Pay attention. I've half a mind to dump you here, whether you're paying me or not." Leonardo scowled and fired off three arrows. While it had taken Shinon around five seconds, it took Leonardo a more painful fifteen. Leonardo could just feel Shinon's impatience.

"I hit the target!" Leonardo said in anticipation of Shinon's next words. Only, instead of getting yelled at Shinon hit him in the head again. "What the hell? I'm trying, alright!" Leonardo quickly regained some of his composer, but his outburst had earned him a glare from Shinon. Though, Leonardo was starting to learn that Shinon glared at everything.

"You have to learn a lot quicker or the hell to it! We've been here for two motherfucking hours and you haven't improved at all! So what if you hit the goddess-damn target? It's standing still for fuck's sake!" Shinon scowled and drew his own bow, shoving Leonardo to one side with his shoulder. Leonardo side-stepped but Shinon didn't loose his balance even a little. He shot off three quick arrows which all split Leonardo's arrows, except for one, which landed right next to it.

"Fine! If you think I'm not learning anything, you can piss off and I can teach myself!" The two spent a tense few seconds glaring at each other, before Shinon started to laugh. "W-What the heck?" Leonardo asked, running a hand through his hair as he looked at Shinon. The red-head acted like this was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

"You got guts, that's for certain. Considering I can snipe your ass even if you're over a hundred yards away, and you still yell at me? Ha, ha! I'll stick 'round, but you better be giving me your all. If I find out you aren't... Well you think this is tough. Bah! I taught myself every step of the way! This is nothing! Now come on! I want to see how fast you can shoot twenty arrows." Shinon said, still laughing, huge smirk across his face. Leonardo sighed and glanced at his quiver. Just enough arrows.

This was going to be a long training period.

* * *

"Sir! The prison camp nearest the desert has been taken!" A soldier reported, looking like he just wanted to run away from Jarod. Jarod looked at the man, his figure started to tremble.

"W-What? I must have heard you wrong... Are you saying a bunch of Daein rabble have attacked and captured one of our own bases?" The fierce Begnion man asked. The soldier was noticeably trembling. He knew what happened to those who angered Jarod.

"Sir! I was not there myself, but a few survivors have just arrived... They said... T-They said..." He felt like he was going to break down. Jarod gave the man an angry snarl.

"Say it, soldier! Are you a man of Begnion or a man of slime?" Jarod shouted. Outside Jarod's room, the entire base had fallen silent.

"Th-The mercenaries... We have reports that they are aiding the Dawn Brigade."

Several seconds later, Jarod was calling for someone to clean up the mess in his room. And a new rug; bloodstains were the hardest to get out after all.

* * *

Soren sighed as he looked around the small town. It wasn't really a town, more like an outpost. And, much more importantly for the tactician, there were no letters. Not like there was an inn for them to be left at, anyway.

"Where can they be heading...?" Soren muttered to himself, as Oscar and Titania (and their two companions) returned from a quick ride around town. Gatrie had set up a small camp in the forest, while Soren had opted to go into town himself. It wasn't like he didn't trust Oscar and Titania's abilities of observation, it was more like he didn't want to get stuck at camp with people he usually couldn't stand. Loosing his anger wouldn't be good for anyone.

He felt a sudden stab of pain and reached a hand up to his stomach, gritting his teeth and feeling like he wanted to fall to the ground. Luckily Titania had turned the narrow corner and she had been riding with Rhys. The priest and paladin quickly reached Soren.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Titania asked, glancing at Rhys, then Soren, then back at the priest. Rhys shook his head and pulled out his heal staff.

"Unless you can suddenly use a staff, then no. I can do this. Please give me some room; I'm feeling fine." While those two last phrases didn't seem very connected, Soren knew that Titania would want to make sure Rhys didn't faint while healing Soren's pains. After a tense few seconds, the warm light of the heal staff ran over Soren and he was able to breathe.

"T-Thank you." He gasped, knowing he looked pathetic but not really caring. Half of the time he wanted to cry, the other half of the time he wanted to scream. He needed time to just stay away from everyone else, or to let out his emotions, or be with Ike... Everything was jumbled in his head and he couldn't think straight.

"No problem. Oscar should be around soon with Rolf." Rhys said, attempting to help Soren sit up. Soren pushed off the man's help though, and stood with a shaky breath. Titania nodded and then her eyes widened as she looked at the forest. A man in all-too recognizable blue armor was running, a few new scratches on his breastplate.

"Titania! Oscar! Help!" He shouted, the blond running faster then Soren had ever seen him run before. Well, except maybe after a particularly cute girl. But more startling was the fact that Begnion soldiers were running after him, throwing spears and shooting arrows at the retreating figure.

"Gatrie!" Titania quickly mounted her horse and pulled out the steel ax she had brought with her. Rhys saw Soren about to run forward and unleash a spell, but held him back.

"You could get injured again. Stay back and wait for Oscar." Rhys shuddered as Titania took a soldier's head off, but ran forward, ignoring the blood and screams. Gatrie was holding his ground now, easily swinging his iron lance around like it was a toothpick. He couldn't help but miss Shinon's back against his as they fought, and the confidence that the sniper could handle anyone who tried to pick Gatrie off with a spell or similar weapon.

Gatrie lunged forward with an angry roar, his lance piercing the low-quality armor the soldiers wore. Titania was running around with her ax slashing through everything it hit. Rhys was trying to keep up with the woman, he really was. But no one could keep up with the speed and agility Titania road with, and soon Rhys found himself in the middle of injured Begnion soldiers.

Who were still very much alive.

"Rhys!" Gatrie shouted, charging forward, mentally groaning because his armor was _not _going to be the same after this battle. The priest had already seen what trouble he was in, and had pulled out his spell book and was shooting off as many as he could.

But Gatrie could see an archer with a bow, just far enough so Gatrie knew he wouldn't make it in time. Rhys didn't notice a thing.

"Rhys! DUCK FOR YOUR LIFE!" The general shouted with all his breath. Rhys glanced in the right direction, but he seemed to shocked to do anything. The bow was drawn back, things went in slow motion...

And the archer was promptly cut in half by a swinging ax. Rhys let out a sigh of relief as Gatrie took over, protecting Shinon's friend (would that be the right word?). Besides, Rhys had saved all their lives at one point or another.

"T-Thank you Gatrie..." Rhys said softly, trembling as the attacks had a lull as the soldiers pulled back to recover. This was supposed to be a surprise attack, not a full-out battle. Gatrie nodded and allowed Rhys to heal him. Meanwhile, Titania was making her way towards them.

"Is everything alright? Oscar should be here any moment, but what the hell happened?" Rhys winced as Titania swore, but he knew that it was the right time to express feelings through words like that. After all, weren't they helping Begnion? Gatrie shrugged.

"I was setting up camp and then, bam! Archers, soldiers, nothing big but enough of them. One of 'em shouted about us being traitors... Do you think it's Ike's group? Maybe something happened..." Gatrie trailed off, thinking about Shinon. Shinon wouldn't go down easily. He'd fight to the death, and Gatrie had yet to see someone survive Shinon attacking them with his full force.

"They're alive, I know it." Titania said rather forcefully. "Ike wouldn't give in when his friends were counting on him... All I know is that we have to get to the desert or find some news..." The sound of a horse galloping towards them broke up their little meeting, but it was only Oscar. Soren was grumpily riding with the greenette, and Rolf ran behind the two.

"Guys! Looks like we have to get out of here, forget the stuff. We have weapons and a little money, right?" Oscar asked, for once sounding something besides calm and controlled. Soren dismounted clumsily, his scowl looking even deeper then usual.

"Ike's being an idiot; he's helping the Dawn Brigade."

* * *

To say lunch (or an early dinner) was tense was a good way of putting it. The Dawn Brigade and their laguz sat on one side of the table. Zihark, Jill, and Tauroneo sat the closest to the Greil Mercenaries. Pelleas, his mother, and Izuka sat between the Dawn Brigade and their first allies. The Greil Mercenaries took up the rest of the room. Tormod and his friends, along with the merchants, had left for the nearest town to try to get news (some more more eagerly then others).

Zihark made small talk with Mia, but it didn't seem like he had any close relations with any of the members of the mercenaries. Jill was talking with Mist, and because they spoke softly it seemed to be a 'girls only' conversation. Tauroneo made small talk with pretty much everyone, but (like Zihark) he didn't seem to close to anyone currently around.

Besides those few, the rest of the room was just eating and chewing. Leonardo would have sworn that even his family dinners before the war weren't so tense...

"Hey." Leonardo glanced up from his food (which was actually pretty good; apparently Mist had made it) and looked at the voice. Edward. "Where were you all day?" Leonardo sighed. He knew someone would ask him eventually, but he didn't really have any good excuses.

"Training." He said truthfully. Edward scowled and Leonardo raised an eyebrow. Edward stabbed through his food as Leo's gaze continued to pierce through him. "What's wrong?" The archer asked. Edward shook his head, but Leo saw him glanced up at Mia and then back at his food. Why would another swordmaster annoy Edward so much? Ok, Edward wasn't the best out there. But he loved a challenge and Leo knew he always wanted to meet someone to challenge. Wasn't this what he wanted? Leonardo sighed.

"So I'm thinking we'll stick around for a few days, then head out of Daein. We don't want to get tangled up in your fight... But if you start getting crazy ideas about attacking Crimea... Well, I really hope that doesn't happen." Ike was saying to Tauroneo. The general nodded.

"Of course. We'll be busy chasing Begnion out, and we all know Daein'll be in no shape to attack anyone afterward." Ike nodded and took another bite of his absolutely giant serving of food. Shinon was scowling at his plate as he ate, looking like he wanted the food to explode under his gaze or something.

"When are we meetin' up with the others, then?" Boyd asked, looking up the ridiculously long table (which was several smaller tables shoved together). Ike shrugged and finished chewing before replying to the fighter.

"Hopefully they'll hear where we are and meet up with us. If not, we can always try to find 'em, or even head back to Crimea and leave behind word that we're outta Daein." Ike said, sounding like he hadn't really thought about it. What did he think, Leo thought. His friends were magically going to know where Ike was, and what Ike was thinking?

Actually, Ike was thinking Soren would hear news the Greil Mercenaries were no longer working for Begnion and would be able to guess what Ike's next move would be. Soren sometimes knew what Ike was going to do before Ike knew it, hopefully the sage's instincts would kick in.

"I guess that'll work, but I hope they're alright... I mean, to Begnion they're just a buncha traitors..." Mia trailed off and looked at her plate. Her eyes looked a little worried, Leonardo noted. Just enough for Leonardo to wonder if she had someone special in the other group.

"Well Oscar and Gatrie can handle themselves. They're big boys, they can fight." Shinon suddenly cut in, leaning back dangerously in his chair. Boyd raised an eyebrow at the sniper.

"I didn't realize you cared for anyone but yourself." Leonardo wondered if he was the only one who noticed the slight tensing in Shinon's shoulders, the narrowing of his eyes. Shinon's scowl (which was ever-present on his face) grew, and Ike frowned.

"Lay off him, Boyd. We're eating, you can save your arguments for later." The man said. Apparently Leonardo's first impressions of Shinon had been correct; the man was hot-headed, cocky, and usually a jerk. He seemed to refuse to work well with others, and constantly challenged Ike's authority. So why was he still a mercenary? Surely a man with his talents could get a job somewhere else.

"No, I don't think so Ike. I've been wanting to say this for a long, long time. So Shinon, why the hell do you act like you're the only one allowed to care for Rolf? Or that you're so much better then the rest of us? Huh?" Boyd asked, glaring at said archer. Shinon shrugged and looked absentmindedly at his fingers, picking a little dirt out of them.

"I don't have to answer to someone like you Boyd. Besides, since when have you really been a good big brother to Rolf anyway?" Leonardo wasn't sure what they were talking about, but obviously Ike was not happy. He stood up, chair falling back onto the ground. It fell with a loud cracking sound, and everyone present looked up with various startled gazes.

"Now is not the time. Boyd, Shinon, this is when you shut up. Or, I kick in a few or your thick skulls. Don't think I'd be hesitant, you know I would do it." The room fell into silence, Shinon scowling away at various objects (but not people) in the room, and Boyd scowling at his food. Suddenly a voice cut into the silence.

"Well, I hope that you all are enjoying the food! I'm not as good as Oscar, but I'm getting better." It was Mist, Ike's younger sister. Micaiah smiled up the table at her.

"It's lovely, thank you for making it. I'm afraid I'm not too good of a cook, though I can get by with simple meals." Leonardo would wonder how woman could talk to each other about anything, anytime, anywhere. It had to be some kind of special ability.

* * *

"Man, I miss when it was just the three of us. No worries, no problems, no running like crazy from Begnion patrols because you aren't sure if you can take them and protect a bunch of merchants..." Tormod muttered, poking the fire with a long twig he had found while searching for firewood. None of the merchants could fight to save their lives (quite literally), and Tormod had been forced to run from patrols he was otherwise certain he and his friends could beat.

"Do not worry, Little One. It is best they do not know we are here." Tormod sighed. He knew that Muarim was right, as usual, but that didn't mean he had to like it. In all honesty he really just wanted to take out his anger at someone, something. It didn't really matter as long as he could burn its butt into oblivion.

"I get it. Sneak around a little, let 'em merchants get a few more supplies, and scamper back to our hole and wait this thing out... You figure we'll be able to get a report back to the Apostle, or is it too dangerous?" The fire mage asked. Muarim shrugged, not having put too much thought into that idea, in all honesty.

"I could fly one to her, if you want, Boss." Vika suggested. Tormod shook his head and Muarim gave his adopted son a curious look. "Why not, Boss?" Vika asked.

"First, it might be safer then walking but it's still not that safe. Second, I wouldn't want you going in alone. Third, Begnion's stupid and might not take your word for anything, even if I did send a note alone." Tormod replied, sounding very serious for once. Muarim nodded in agreement.

"Little One is right. If you were to get hurt or lost, then we wouldn't be able to help or even know. I understand you know the skies above Begnion well, but what about Daein? Besides... You'd have to rest eventually." Vika sighed and nodded in agreement. Tormod scowled as he continued to poke the fire.

What was bugging him so badly? Was it the fact that he hadn't been in a good battle recently? No, he'd never felt something like that before. Maybe he was missing something? Yeah, peace and quiet. But he didn't think that would affect him that much. Suddenly a certain green-haired rouge appeared in his thoughts, and his scowl grew. What did Sothe have to do with anything? Sure, the young man was Tormod's first (human) friend. And maybe the only one he still talked to. But did that give him special rights? No! Tormod sighed.

"Is something wrong, Little One?" Muarim asked. Being a laguz, he could tell something was up, damn him, Tormod thought. He shook his head anyway and stood up, throwing the twig into the fire. "Son..." Muarim trailed off as Tormod watched the fire burn the twig to a crisp.

"_Are you sure you want to learn... That magic?"_

"_Yeah! So then I can protect you an' all your friends!" _

Tormod heard the words like they had just been spoken, but he knew it was just in his head. Meanwhile, Muarim still looked worried about Tormod.

"I'm fine. Just a little stressed, I suppose. G'night." The young beorc muttered, pretending to yawn and rubbing his eyes. He walked back to the tents, where he had his set up next to where Muarim's was. Tormod crawled inside and couldn't help but miss having Sothe's soft breathing in his ears as he fell asleep.

At the same time, Tormod absolutely refused to miss that stupid greenette. He was Tormod! He was a dangerous fire mage! No one could stand up to his amazing abilities! And he didn't need any friends. Especially not Sothe.

Tormod the absolutely amazing and incredible sage refused to cry himself to sleep, missing something he wasn't sure even meant that much to him.

* * *

Considering the camp had been attacked, Soren thought the Begnion soldiers had been complete imbeciles and had only taken a few weapons, and the ones that had been heavily used too. While Gatrie would be needing a new steel greatlance, and Titania had bemoaned the loss of her throwing ax, they were easily replaceable once they got back to Crimea. Because, at this point, Soren was refusing to stay in Daein.

They were outnumbered, in poor condition on average, and had just lost a few expensive weapons. He knew Ike would be able to handle himself, so he wasn't too worried about the hero. Soren was more worried about getting across the border without to much trouble.

Which was partly why they were walking on a dirt path, in the middle of a forest, in the middle of the night. Also, Soren was pretty damn sure that a Begnion patrol was following them. And damn them if they thought they could beat Soren in a game of wits.

Because that was what Soren was certain it would be. While he could probably set up a pretty good trap in the darkness, he didn't know how many men the patrol had, or even what weapons they had. And horses were bad to rely on, when it came to silence.

"I'm tired, Oscar." Rolf muttered softly to his brother, leaning against Oscar's back as they rode on Oscar's horse. Oscar smiled sadly before he replied.

"You have to stay awake. We have to get as far as possible before we stop, or the patrol will catch up to us." Oscar had been certain that Titania and Gatrie would have killed enough of the soldiers to scare off their leader, but obviously not.

"B-But I don't wanna..." Rolf yawned and rested against Oscar's back, using him as a pillow. Oscar sometimes wondered how Rolf could act like such a little kid, even though he was eighteen. Boyd thought Oscar had been too soft on him, and had thus grown up at an extremely slow pace. But Rolf was more mature then he let on. He just didn't act like it, Oscar knew.

"Are you alright, Rhys? You can rest if you want. I'll make sure you don't fall." Titania said to Rhys. She wasn't sure how good the priest was feeling, as he never let on until it was too late or too much for him, but she knew that a lack of sleep couldn't help him.

"Thank you, Titania, but I feel fine. You were fighting today. If anything, you should get some sleep... Except, well, I don't know how to ride a horse!" Rhys let out some soft laughter and Titania smiled. While Soren had said that it was too dangerous to use torches, the moon was just bright enough so you could see a little ahead of yourself.

Not a lot, not enough to use ranged weapons. Or, not a lot to see a trap on the road set by Begnion troops who actually knew where they were going.

"Fire!" A hoarse voice cried out. Titania, for her credit, was able to dodge all but three arrows (which buried themselves in her armor, but didn't hurt her). Oscar, who was leading the group, didn't do so well. He turned quickly, throwing Rolf (who was a much less experienced rider of course) out of the saddle and onto the ground. But Oscar was hit with five arrows in his chest, three managing to pierce through his armor and into him.

Soren pulled out a random tome and shouted a spell, hoping it was the right one. Luckily it was, and a sudden blast of thunder hitting in front of him (and killing three archers who were too close to each other) illuminated the trap. That, and the torches that had been carefully hidden from the rest of the road.

Gatrie let out a fierce roar and charged forward with inhuman speed (considering his heavy armor, which he had been walking in for the past few hours). He was able to engage a few soldiers at various points, but even he couldn't hold them all back.

Rolf, who had fallen, got up in time to see Oscar being healed by a frantic Rhys and Titania swinging her ax to keep soldiers away from them. Soren was using a thunder tome to both illuminate the darkness and killing archers.

But Soren kept having to attack ever approaching fighters and myrmidons, and Titania couldn't keep up her quick blows forever. Gatrie was being swarmed by four or five soldiers at a time, and sooner or later his armor would give. It was made of quality material, but had also been used the past five or so years.

Rolf looked around, never having felt so hopeless. But then, something he hadn't expected. A bow; his bow! He remembered Shinon giving it to him and everything! What was it doing here? No, he didn't have to worry about that. Rolf quickly ran over and was happy to see it not only strung, but next to a bunch of arrows.

He quickly knocked one and was about to pull it back when he thought about what Oscar would do. His arm was better though! This would prove it! Rolf smiled to himself and ran forward, getting the archer within range. He pulled the bow back and let the arrow fly.

It buried itself into the target, and Rolf let out a cheer. That did one of two things. The first was that it shocked the others, Titania faltering and Oscar (who had mounted his horse and was swinging a lance) nearly getting his leg chopped off. Gatrie looked behind him to see who had fired the arrow, and was hit in the head by a swinging sword.

He fell to the ground, and Oscar road back to get Rolf. Rolf moved so Oscar wasn't in his way and fired another arrow, this one burying itself into the chest of a fighter who was about to attack Gatrie. The Begnion soldier fell to the ground with a somewhat satisfying thump. Gatrie would have made some kind of signal of appreciation, but he was still passed out.

Titania rode over though, to protect the general, so Rolf wasn't too worried about Gatrie's health. No, he was more worried about listening to Oscar shout at him.

"Be careful! Your arm still isn't fully healed!" Oscar shouted, spinning a javelin in his hand and throwing it confidently at a soldier who was trying to creep closer to the brothers. Rolf gave Oscar a somewhat stunned look, a mix of awe and thankfulness.

"Thank you, Oscar! I won't let you down!" Rolf said proudly, waving his bow in the air. Oscar smiled back at his little brother and was about to say something else when a panicked shout shot through the air. Soren.

The wind mage had been putting up a good fight, he really had. But there are only so many spells one can realistically shoot before getting captured. And that was just what had happened.

"Soren!" Oscar shouted, charging forward. Rolf was left to deal with five Begnion soldiers who were creeping up on him. The young archer was able to take out two of the five, but the other three then attacked him and he became more worried about not loosing a limb then fighting.

"Pull back! We've got two of 'em!" A hoarse voice shouted out again, who Rolf assumed was the commander of the group. But before he could really think about things like that, or fighting back against the soldiers, he was hit with the flat of someone's blade and knocked out cold.

* * *

"W-Wha? Who is it?" Leonardo asked, mentally swearing as he saw a flash of red hair. That left only one person, and it was the one person Leonardo really did not want to deal with right then. "Wh-What time is it, anyway? Can't be past dawn yet..." Leonardo added, seeing only a faint beam of sunlight. Shinon rolled his eyes and poked Leo with his toe again.

"Do you want to train some more or leave you to deal with it yourself? I'm trying to teach yah how to be a real archer, but you don't seem to be up to it." Leonardo hadn't had a very good sleep. The ground (seeing as there were no beds in the prison) had been hard or cold, or both, and Edward had tried to 'snuggle' with him. Which, in other words, meant completely ruin any chance of Leonardo getting to sleep.

"Fine..." Leonardo held back a yawn as he sat up, patting his hair down. He knew his hair was a mess when he woke up, which is why he usually woke up early. But not this early, for crying out loud! Shinon nodded and threw something at Leo. Leonardo grabbed it and realized it was a bow and a quiver. But nothing he recognized...

"Use that today. Same place as before. You got five minutes, or I'm leaving." Shinon added, walking away. Leonardo listened to his footsteps disappear and stood. He grabbed his clothes and hurriedly dressed. He grabbed a pitcher of water he had placed by his bedroll last night and used the water to flatten his hair and wake himself up more.

It was about then when he realized Edward wasn't in his bedroll anymore. Where would he go? Leonardo thought. He was probably training, but Edward loved his sleep. What in the world could convince him to wake up, _before Leonardo_, to just train?

"Strange... Huh..." Leonardo muttered aloud. He then looked at his new bow and realized that it was almost perfect for him. The size was smaller then what he was used to, but the grooves for his hands were perfect... And as he lined up an invisible shot he realized the weight was just right too. Strange, Leonardo thought. Shinon didn't look like the kind of person to make bows, but where could he have gotten one?

Maybe he got it from the merchants before they left, Leonardo thought. Yes, that's it. That's the only thing that makes sense, after all. So, with his conclusion in mind, Leonardo walked out of the room and prepared himself for another session of being called an idiot who couldn't fire a bow if his life depended on it. But Leonardo was quickly realizing that Shinon was always like that, to everyone. So, maybe, Shinon's insults were a good thing.

* * *

"HYA! HYYAAA!" The voice rung out to the point where it was surprising that no one else had been woken by it. The halls echoed with two things really; the soft sound of Edward's boots that seemed much louder then they really were, and the much louder sound of shouting as Mia swung her sword and practiced.

Edward must have been watching her for the past hour, at least. He wasn't sure why he didn't leave, go back to sleep where his boyfriend was sleeping softly. Maybe part of him just knew he wouldn't go back to sleep at this point. He knew that he kept comparing Mia to his sister. The way they both seemed to have an ever-present smile. The fact that Mia had long hair, just like _she _had wanted when she was older. And the fact they both managed to always be in his mind.

"Get that! HYAAAA!" Edward was _really _surprised no one else was awake. Maybe it was because they were used to it, in the case of the Greil Mercenaries. But they were in the far side of the prison camp, so maybe the sound didn't travel as well as Edward thought.

He continued to sit and watch, his eyes taking in every movement but his mind comprehending none of it. She might as well have been an alien, and he watched her with the same amount of interest he gave Leonardo. What's wrong with me, Edward thought. She's a stupid Greil Mercenary! They helped kill them! She deserves nothing more then a painful death!

Edward was so into his thoughts that he didn't realize that Mia had stopped, the shouting dying down as it traveled down the halls and eventually disappeared. Mia stood in the middle of the empty room (it must have been an unused cell or something), silent. She looked at her sword, the barely audible sound of sweat falling.

"Come out of the hall, Eddie. It won't do you any good to sit there all morning." Edward was jolted out of his thoughts at the sound of his old nickname. Not even Leonardo called him that. That was the line that was drawn in bright green, and was not to be crossed. But Mia had just crossed that; whether she meant to or not wasn't important. It was times like that when Edward was glad he had brought his sword, thought it was only iron.

"HYAA!" Edward screamed, jumping out of the hall and attacking Mia. The woman had been training for two hours straight, and was wishing for come cool water and five minutes of peace. Edward had just spent the past two hours sleeping or sitting. Nevertheless, Mia had skill that came from being in more battles then Edward had by far, and she had fought tired before.

"Edward! What the-" She was cut off as Edward swung his blade again and tried to take Mia's head off. Mia dodged it and knocked Edward back with the flat of her blade. It hit him, hard, in the chest. He slid back, but was charging almost as soon as he regained his balance. "Cut this out!" She shouted at him, moving out of his way and kicking him to then ground.

"No! You aren't her! You don't deserve to look like her!" Edward's words might have made sense if Mia had time to think about them, but she didn't and she was being attacked. To her, he might as well have gone crazy.

"Edward! You aren't in your right mind! Cut it out!" Mia shouted, giving him another slap with the flat of her blade. Only, this time, Edward was expecting it and ducked while swinging his sword. It cut into Mia's leg. It wasn't deep, but it made Mia realize something important; Edward was taking this battle as seriously as a real one. He was out for blood.

* * *

"Finally. I was about to leave." Shinon muttered, looking at Leonardo. As Shinon had expected, Leo had also brought his normal bow and quiver. That was alright with the sniper; he hadn't expected Leonardo to be full of trust or even confidence in his new mentor's skill with bows. Most people didn't think Shinon knew how to make bows, after all.

"It's a good bow." Leonardo admitted, putting it down on a nearby table. "But I like my old one more." Shinon shrugged, not really caring one way or the other. Leo would see things his way eventually, after all.

"Fine with me, but you'll see that a bow can make or break an archer." Shinon remarked, standing up straight and pulling out an arrow. He walked up so he was in line with the target and shot three arrows in a quick, rapid pace. Only, they hit three different targets instead of one. "That's what we're doing today. After all, you aren't always going to be able to attack just one person. Sometimes it's more then one, and sometimes you need to kill a person per arrow." Shinon stepped back and motioned for Leonardo to go ahead and shoot.

Leonardo nodded and pulled back his first arrow, figuring he'd go for the easiest target first; the one right in front of him. He shot the three arrows, and while they weren't as carefully shot as Leo would have liked, they did hit their targets. Of course, that wasn't good enough for Shinon. Nothing was good enough for Shinon, it sometimes seemed.

"Too slow, and your accuracy was terrible. I've seen fifteen year-olds who could fire faster then you." Leonardo doubted that was true, but he got the meaning of the message. Leonardo nodded and fired his arrows again, a little faster. His arrows barely his the targets, but he was much faster. Of course that wasn't good enough for Shinon either. "No point in going quickly if you can't hit your target." Shinon muttered, sighing.

"Then which is it?" Leonardo asked, keeping his anger in check. "Speed or accuracy? Which is more important?" Leonardo asked. Shinon scowled and nearly pushed Leonardo out of the way. He fired off three arrows, which all landed directly next to Leonardo's arrows, making the blond certain it was done on purpose.

"Accuracy is the most important. No point in going fast; once the enemy figures out you can't hit them worth shit then they won't be scared of your arrows anymore. 'Sides, speed is only good if you have enough arrows to afford a miss or two." Leonardo was also getting used to Shinon's dirty mouth. Leonardo couldn't help but wonder where Shinon could have come from, to have such bad manners and habits, but still be a great archer.

"Alright then!" Leonardo said, exasperated. Shinon moved out of the way and Leonardo fired off his arrows. They all were close to the center of the target, but it took him nearly thirty seconds to fire off the arrows. Expecting more yelling on behalf of Shinon, Leonardo was surprised to see the sniper silent. Well, mostly silent.

"Use this one." Shinon practically commanded, passing Leonardo his new bow. Leonardo took it and almost instantly realized it was lighter, though that could have been because of the smaller size. Leonardo nodded and fired off the arrows again. Same accuracy, but slightly better speed. As in, twenty seconds instead of thirty.

"Thanks?" Leonardo said hesitantly. Knowing Shinon (even if it was only a few days), Leonardo half expected Shinon to charge him for it. Shinon shrugged.

"You can use it until we're done training. Then I can make you another, if yah pay me extra." Well, that was good and bad. It was a little surprising that Shinon had actually made the bow himself. Where in the world could that man have found the time, though?

"What's the point of using this one if I'm not going to have one after we're done training?" Leonardo asked. Shinon gave Leonardo an exasperated look.

"You need to know what a good bow is, and what a decent bow is. Your current bow is the kind that's pretty mass-produced. I could teach yah how to make one like that in, oh, two weeks. But the one I made? Takes a lot longer. Much more expensive, of course, but lasts longer and is much better for combat anyway." Shinon said as he lined up his own shots. The targets were old, the paint faded, and Leonardo thought he saw what was blood on a few of them.

Still, it was better then nothing, he thought to himself. Then he shook his head. Where had that come from? Leonardo suddenly realized he had been tuning out Shinon and sighed.

"Can you repeat that? I didn't hear any of it." Shinon scowled and shook his head.

"Nope. You'll figure out what I said soon enough... Or, if you're a bigger idiot then you look and act, a while from now." Leonardo sighed. Right when Shinon was acting semi-decent, he goes back and is a jerk again.

This was going to be a longer couple hours then Leonardo thought.

* * *

Mia wasn't sure how Edward was holding up, seeing as the young man had been throw around the room like a rag doll, but she knew how she was handling it. And the answer was not very well. She was slowing down, and bringing her sword up was starting to take more effort then she was used to. She was dodging his blows, sure, but her counters were slowing and weakening. At this rate Edward might actually beat her just because he had started out fresh, rather then tired.

"Edward! Please, I don't want to fight you!" Luckily, Edward looked like he was recovering his sanity, because he just shook his head and scowled instead of shouting back.

"I don't want to talk to you! You aren't my sister!" But now, Edward seemed like he was convincing himself rather then shout at Mia. Mia sighed and shook his head.

"Edward, I don't know what I did but... I'm sorry for your sister. It sounds like you miss her a lot." Mia tried, hoping her would understand that she did feel sorry for his loss.

"You... You don't understand anything! You don't know what happened! You don't know what she was like!" Edward cried out. He fell to his knees and it took Mia only a few seconds to realize he was crying. She hesitantly walked over to him, but he looked like he was in no condition to do anything. "Get off me!" He shouted when Mia tried to put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and Mia saw tears in his eyes, streaking down his dirty face.

"I know you feel like my friends and I caused all of this to happen, but we didn't! I... I never thought that things would end up like this. We just wanted to save our own country, like you want to save Daein from Begnion! Edward!" Mia grabbed his hands before he could snatch them away. He was trembling, and so was Mia, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. "I know you must have lost so, so much! I know you have every right to hate me, loath me, but I don't want it to be like that! We're allies now, you can trust me! I... I don't want you to hate me!" Mia said.

"That has nothing to do with it! You... You..." Edward couldn't finish his sentence, couldn't string his thoughts together. While he hated Mia for looking so much like his sister, for practically being his sister, she thought it was for a completely different reason. Mia thought Edward hated the fact that a girl could beat him, the fact that a girl was tough enough to stand up to him. Mia thought Edward was just like all of her 'friends' who thought she was stupid for taking up a sword instead of a needle, because _what could a girl do that a man can't do better? _

"Edward! I don't care if you don't like it, just respect me! I don't want to call you an enemy, I don't want to hate you!" Mia cried out, falling onto her knees. Edward felt the rush of tears, which had already been falling slowly down his face, suddenly burst out as he screamed.

"It's not fair! You look just like her! Why? It's not fair! I-It's not... It's not..." Mia suddenly realized who exactly 'her' was and what Edward had been saying the past near hour. And suddenly she was crying too, because she could understand what pain Edward had gone through and how painful it had to be to see someone who looked just like the person you missed.

* * *

"Hm... What is it?" Ike said, yawning as he entered the official meeting room. Everyone else was already there, but they hadn't been waiting too long. Everyone looked more serious then usual though, and Ike's usual frown grew. "What? What happened?" He asked. Micaiah glanced at the others, and Ike suddenly realized Sothe was back. And Sothe did not look happy.

"Sothe... You can tell him." Micaiah said, though it sounded more like she didn't want to be the bearer of bad news. Sothe looked around the table to see that no one else wanted to say anything either. The rouge sighed.

"I just got back; Tormod and his friends are going to try to head back to Begnion to get news to the Apostle, and the merchants will arrive around lunch." Ike had a feeling that wasn't the bad news that was on everyone's minds.

"What happened." Ike said forcefully. Sothe realized that putting it off any longer would be hazardous for his health.

"Begnion received news of you switching sides sometime yesterday, and sent out a few patrols to get you on your way back to Crimea... News is they caught a young archer and a sage." Ike just heard 'they caught Soren and Rolf'.

"What! I have to go out and rescue them-" Ike was cut off by a fierce glare by Nailah. Micaiah spoke though, instead of the laguz queen.

"Ike, that's out of the question. You cannon risk your entire group for the sake of two people... We will rescue them, but you must head back to Crimea as soon as possible. Every second longer you stay is another second the Begnion troops are searching for you!" Micaiah said, figuring she would know about Begnion looking for people. Ike shook his head.

"I can't just run and hide from Begnion, like an animal with my tail between my legs... Micaiah, if you will agree to help improve relations between Crimea and Daein when Pelleas receives power, then I will uphold my end of the bargain." Ike had never looked so threatening, Sothe thought. This was his true wrath, the wrath that was only let loose is you dared touch one of his friends. Sothe almost felt sorry for Jarod.

"Which would be...?" Micaiah prompted.

"Micaiah. I, Ike, leader of the Greil Mercenaries, will help you fight Begnion until they are out of Daein for good." Ike said with a dark look in his eyes. "And there's nothing that will stop me from rescuing my friends in the process."


End file.
